In an effort to keep taxpayers from being hit hard by high tax rates over time, the school board looked at a long-term plan to stagger its building projects.

Architects, engineers and consultants who studied Oak Harbor’s facilities over the last year, developed a timeline that projects to 2030.

To pave the way for a long-term plan, the school board passed a new policy that should keep future tax rates level.

The former policy encouraged districts to delay major maintenance and accumulate it into a single large modernization every 30 years.

“We would just limp along for 10 to 15 years until we were eligible for modernization funds,” Superintendent Rick Schulte said.

The new policy contains an incentive to maintain buildings on a regular basis. Without investing in projects earlier, the district stands to lose state matching money for large-scale overhauls.

The school board took a look at the “Study and Survey Report” presented by Tom Bates of BLRB Architects Monday night. It included a list of projects, costs and priorities.

The same company completed a shorter, six-year facilities timeline for the district last April.

Their first recommended phase in the study is currently underway; repurpose the high school’s C and D wings to accommodate maintenance and grounds crews. These departments were formerly housed in the district’s oldest, continuously used buildings.

In the next several years, the district might consider replacing the south buildings at Oak Harbor Elementary School and building a new transportation office.

“It is way beyond its serviceable life,” Bates said of the office.

A new office could be built on the existing site, or the district is looking into sharing property with public works. The former land across the street from Oak Harbor Elementary School could become a new park.

The projects would total about $43 million and Bates recommended a bond election in 2011 or 2013.

The goal for the next 18 years is to keep up with smaller improvements. A series of capital levy and bond elections for about $5 to $10 million will stagger the major modernization costs.

The final, and largest, project on the study would come in 2030 when Broad View, Crescent Harbor and Olympic View elementary schools would each require modernization or replacement. The cost would be about $82 to $100 million.

“This project might be broken up into two bonds,” Bates said, adding that the district would be eligible for state matching funds.

For each project on the list, there were two options. The economy, enrollment, demographics and other factors could impact the recommended plan.

“Think of this as a living document,” Bates said.

The school board members said they were pleased with the study and having a detailed plan for the next 20 years.

“Part of our duty is to keep things maintained and maintain the tax rate as level as possible so the community knows what to expect,” school board president Corey Johnson said.