Construction underway on Reinertsen’s gymnasium addition
June 25, 2015
Walls are going up on the gymnasium addition to S.G. Reinertsen Elementary School. The addition also includes two music classrooms, bathrooms and storage space for physical education and music.
The 17,260-square-foot addition on the north side of the school is one of nine facilities recommendations approved by the School Board in November 2013. Those recommendations included additions at Robert Asp Elementary and Probstfield Center for Education during the summer of 2014 with the Reinertsen addition to be built this summer.
The three additions were planned in November 2013 to address a critical shortage of physical education space, address space needs for all-day kindergarten, and provide for equitable elementary school facilities, said district administrators.
All three additions are being paid for using a combination of the district’s lease levy and existing district funds. The lease levy is a funding mechanism available to help school districts add educational space to existing facilities or lease property for educational programs. The lease levy is not intended for building new schools. A district’s lease levy capacity is based on a formula set by the state.
In March, the School Board approved the bids for the Reinertsen project. The total base bid for the project was $3.6 million, approximately $64,000 lower than estimated. In April, the board approved the lease purchase for $3.4 million at an interest rate of 2.4 percent. The remodeling portion of the project will be covered through the general fund.
Using lease levy financing of $3.4 million to pay for part of the Reinertsen addition will have an estimated tax impact of less than $15 per year on a $200,000 home. The district’s payments would be approximately $269,953 a year, said Assistant Superintendent Brandon Lunak.
Additionally, a new playground is being added to the north side of the school. Funds from the Reinertsen Parent-Teacher Advisory Council are supporting the playground project.
Categorized under: School