Huffer Will Hear School Argument
PLYMOUTH � A Kosciusko County Judge will determine the fate of the $26.4 million Plymouth School expansion project.
Beth Eddington, administrative assistant in the Marshall Circuit Court, confirmed Thurs-day that Kosciusko Superior Court No. 1 Judge Duane Huffer has been appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court to preside over the case between the Plymouth School Corporation and the Marshall County Tax Awareness Committee.
Both sides have been waiting for weeks for the Supreme Court to appoint a judge to hear the case.
During that time period, the school project, better known as Option B in Plymouth, has been moving forward.
Option B, includes constructing a new K-4 building, converting Menominee Elementary into a fifth-sixth grade building, and renovations at every other building.
A new energy efficient heating/cooling system will also be installed. The system is designed to save money each year.
Renovations to the high school will include a multi-use room that adds more than $1 million to the total project.
TAC mounted a successful remonstrance by collecting signatures from 763 property owners opposed to Option B. Only 250 signatures are needed to move
The second phase was a 30-day petition drive to determine the fate of the project.
Option B supporters admitted they have been nervous the past two weeks. When the initial count was taken, the opposition had 3,151 signatures, The fact Option B supporters collected 3,114 signatures dealt a setback to the opposition. County County Auditor Jane Quivey said 574 opposition signatures were disqualified while 449 Option B signatures were tossed out, giving Option B a win by 87 signatures.
John Price, attorney for TAC, filed a lawsuit demanding 180 signatures be placed back on the TAC petition because state law was not followed closely.
School attorney Joseph Morris also wants the lawsuit to be declared a public lawsuit which would force TAC to put up more than $1 million in bonds to cover the additional cost to the school for delaying the project.
If Huffer were to side with TAC, the Plymouth School Board could not put together another expansion plan for a year.
If the school corporation prevails, Plymouth students could walk into their new or renovated buildings in the fall of 2004.
Huffer handles a variety of cases in the Kosciusko County system. He is completing his first six-year term as judge and will begin a second term in January. He is unopposed in the November election.
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