Why are we building a junior/high school when it is the elementary that needs the space?
The Community Facilities Planning committee looked at several options to best utilize new spaces and make the most of our dollars. If the junior/high school had stayed in the old portion of the building with the elementary in the new space we would have had to also put quite a bit of money into the current art room, consumer science (Home Ec) room, and science labs to bring them up to standard. Putting the elementary into the new space also left them at quite a distance from the playground and bus loading areas, making the flow of students congested and impractical. By moving the junior/high school into the new space there will be a lot of vacated space allowing the elementary to move into and utilize those spaces for classrooms, allowing some larger classes to be split into manageable sizes, while at the same time making the school eligible for additional state aid in the lower elementary grades by having class sizes between 10 and 20 students.
Does the 5.75 million bond include new furnishings?
It does include cabinets in the rooms, and secondary science labs. While we expect the number of students to grow in time with the new space available, we will still have about the same number of students as we do presently when the new facility is finished. We currently have enough desks/tables/chairs to accommodate all our students and staff. Any additional items will come out of general funds.
How was the purchase of the properties to the east of the school financed?
Over the past several years the school board has saved money aside for building projects, and will continue to do so. The three properties were purchased with this money on hand and belong to Elm Creek School District. The fourth property has a signed purchase agreement to be closed on or before October 15th. The money for this property will be borrowed on a 7 year lease purchase.
Has the village of Elm Creek agreed to vacate McComb Street?
The school has been in talks with the village board and the general consensus is that the street can be vacated. There are details yet to be worked out.
Why has the school purchased the properties to the east before the bond was passed?
The school board recognized that sometime in the future it would be to their benefit to own that property even if this bond does not pass. There will come a time when the old building is just no longer usable and it will be to the school’s advantage to have options available by owning that property. In the meantime if the bond does not pass that property can be used for parking, grassed for play area or many other uses
Will this project include foundation and supports to allow a second story to be built in the future?
The Community Facilities Planning Committee looked at this option, but decided not to recommend it. The cost for including the structures to allow a second story added about $700,000 to the current project. In addition when and if a second story were added the costs would also be much higher as there would be handicapped access issues, including elevators, and higher fire code issues to allow safety in exiting a second story. These are expense costs. By purchasing the property to the east of the school now, there were many options opened up for future expansion, including expansion to the west. Including structure supports costs now somewhat committed us to a second story in the future which may or may not be the best option thus narrowing future options.
What happens if the project has overruns in cost?
The estimated cost of the project is $5.7 million, the asking for the bond is $5.75 giving some additional funds. Also included in the $5.7 million estimate is a 15% contingency fee, allowing for some of those overruns. If the board oversees the building project as diligently as they have overseen the planning process the hope is that the overruns could be kept to a minimum.