Residents in the Cayuse Prairie School District have three weeks to decide the future of its bright yellow school building.

Today the district will mail 1,403 ballots to its registered voters and ask them to approve a $1.95 million bond request to build a new gymnasium and performing arts center.

Signed ballots must be returned to the district office by Nov. 10.

The district has held informational meetings over the last couple of months to discuss the bond issue. No more meetings are scheduled before the Nov. 10 deadline, but those who would like to discuss the election with the board of trustees may do so at tonight's board meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. in the school library.

If voters approve the bond request, Cayuse Prairie will build a new, 7,818-square-foot gym and performing arts center, which would be available for community use. Money from the bonds also would build additional parking around the new gym and restrooms in the lower elementary hallway.

The project would open for bid in early 2010 and construction could start at the end of the school year. Principal Rick Nadeau estimates construction would take about one year.

If voters approve the bond issue, annual property takes on a home with a $100,000 taxable value would increase by about $54. Taxes on houses with $200,000 taxable values would go up by about $107 a year.

Current gym space is inadequate and unsafe, school official say. Christmas programs are performed in shifts because there isn't room for every student, parent and community member in the audience.

Even with two performances, not everyone can fit in the gym, which leaves some audience members craning to see from the foyer.

There is little space outside the boundaries of the basketball court, which makes games unsafe, school officials say. Spectators can't help but sit with their feet on the court, posing a hazard to players and referees running by. The gym's low roof can make volleyball games challenging.

The district has discussed the need for a new gym for nearly two decades. School officials decided to act this fall because of a grant offered through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Qualified School Construction Bond grant provides 0 to 1 percent interest on the bonds and could save the district almost $1.2 million in interest over the next 15 years, district clerk Heather Mumby said.

The district is hopeful that there may be enough money left over from bond sales to build classrooms in preparation for future development around Cayuse Prairie, board Chairman Brad Cronk told the Inter Lake in September.

The district, which has a bonding capacity of a little more than $3 million, is debt free. The last time Cayuse ran a bond election was in 1994, when voters approved a $525,000 request. That money built the school's north wing, which houses fifth- through eighth-grade classrooms.

For further information about the proposal or ballots, call the school at 756-4560.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com