Hurley School Board told tax levy increase lies ahead

HURLEY — The Hurley School Board will likely look at a possible $200,000 tax levy increase in the fall, according to district administrator Chris Patritto.

Patritto told school board members Monday that as it stands now, the district would lose about $100,000 in state aid for the 2016-’17 school year.

The figures are preliminary and the board won’t act on adopting the 2017 tax levy until the annual meeting in the fall.

In other business Monday, board members learned radio station WUPM-WHRY in Ironwood will broadcast all Hurley home and away spectator sports events.

Basketball, football, baseball and softball will be included.

Assistant athletics director Steve Eder said few high schools have such an arrangement. He said many colleges don’t receive coverage equal to what Hurley will be getting.

The board authorized Cory Corullo to make repairs on the tennis courts for $17,000. They will be recoated and repainted.

The Booster Club will help with part of the cost.

“We’ll have the track and tennis courts squared away,” said board president Joe Simonich. He called the current state of the tennis courts “an embarrassment” to the district.

The board authorized Patritto to accept the low bid on repainting the rusty light standards at Veterans Memorial Field. The plan is to get the standards repainted by the first football game on Aug. 19.

The board took no action on a request for a cooperative golf team with the Mellen School District. One student from Mellen was interested in playing golf at Hurley, but Eder suggested denying the move because Hurley has enough students to form a team.