And there are portions of the building that are virtually unchanged since it opened in 1958, a year when Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House, Buddy Holly was climbing the music charts and the internet was unheard of.

Leaders of the Fort Dodge Community School District are asking the voters to extend an existing general obligation bond borrowing authority so that $42 million can be invested in thoroughly updating the school at 819 N. 25th St.

The proposal would lead to a “full overhaul of the building,” Brian Pederson, a member of the Fort Dodge Community School District Board of Education said Thursday evening.

Speaking to a group of about 35 people who came to the high school to learn about the plan, he said that the Board of Education is “unanimously behind this proposal.”

“We feel this proposal puts our school in the best position moving forward,” he said.

District officials are emphasizing that the plan will not increase property taxes because it is extending a levy that already exists.

The district currently has a levy of $2.48 per $1,000 of taxable value that is dedicated to paying off bond debt. That levy would be extended in order to finance the high school project.

Voters will be asked to approve the plan during the Nov. 4 general election. It must be approved by 60 percent of those voting to go into effect.

These upgrades will be made if the voters approve the borrowing authority:

• Replacing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system

• Replacing floors and ceilings

• Installing new light fixtures

• Rebuilding the swimming pool

• Creating an improved main entrance

• Installing a new public address and safety system

• Modernizing the career and technical education rooms

• Improving the acoustics in the band and choir rooms

• Build a facility for making and storing theater scenery and props

• Building a new weight room and cardio equipment facility

Building a new high school is out of the question, according to district Superintendent Josh Porter. He said doing so would cost up to $140 million, and the district cannot borrow that much money.

Following the presentation by district leaders, those in attendance could take a tour of the building. That tour took the visitors to places usually off limits to the public, and they were able see things like the big steel braces supporting the crumbling walls beneath the swimming pool.