School Board approves nine facilities recommendations
November 13, 2013
The
Moorhead School Board unanimously approved nine short- and long-term facilities recommendations at the
Nov. 12 board meeting, including additions at Robert Asp Elementary and
Probstfield Center for Education with construction to begin in the spring of
2014 for both projects.
Assistant
Superintendent Wayne Kazmierczak presented the nine recommendations to the
School Board as part of the district’s facilities goal of providing
equitable education facilities, technological tools and the infrastructure
needed across the district to meet the needs of students, families and
communities. Facility needs and plans were discussed most recently at School
Board work sessions in July and October.
The
11,000-square-foot Robert Asp addition is estimated to cost $2.2 million, which
will be paid using the lease levy, and will address a critical shortage of
physical education space at Robert Asp Elementary and provide for more
equitable elementary school facilities.
The
Probstfield Center 20,100-square-foot addition will include eight classrooms
and a gymnasium to address the need for elementary classrooms beginning with the
2014-15 school year and gymnasium space issues. It will cost approximately $4.3
million and will be paid for using the district’s lease levy and existing
district funds.
Attendance
area adjustments likely will be necessary to rebalance enrollment at the district's
elementary schools, Kazmierczak said. These adjustments will be done this
spring.
These recommendations will be paid for using lease
levy financing of about $5 million. On a $200,000 home the tax impact will be
$26 per year. The district’s payments would be $460,000 a year. Kazmierczak also
told the board that the district will be refinancing some of the long-term
debt, reducing annual payments by about $480,000 per year. The refinancing will
save the district more than $3 million over seven years. This will offset the
cost of the additional lease levy for that seven-year period, Kazmierczak said.
The board will be asked to act on the refinancing in December.
Also approved was to proceed with the addition of a gymnasium at
S.G. Reinertsen Elementary with construction to begin in the spring of 2015 for
an estimated cost of between $2.2 and $2.5 million.
Detailed planning will begin with the approval of
these recommendations, Kazmierczak said.
Two recommendations related to Moorhead High School
were approved. The first is to convene a study group to analyze the current
facility usage and determine the feasibility of using existing space in the
high school for programs that are currently in the Sports Center. Details
related to this recommendation would be made in the spring of 2014 with
remodeling or building addition costs presented at that time, Kazmierczak said.
The
second recommendation at Moorhead High is to replace the existing track and
install an artificial turf field with construction to begin in the spring of
2014. The $1.54 million project cost will be paid for by the district with the
goal of raising approximately $285,000 through a capital fundraising campaign,
Kazmierczak said.
Two
options for the track replacement were considered. One was to replace the track
and redo the field using natural grass for approximately $675,000 and the other
option was to replace the track and redo the field using artificial turf at a
cost of $1.54 million. The difference between the two options is approximately
$865,000.
By
opting for the turf field, the district significantly increases use of the field
for physical education classes, football and soccer games, and practices, Kazmierczak said. Additionally, this will
allow the soccer fields at Horizon to be better used by Horizon students for
physical education classes and extracurricular activities.
Long-term recommendations include:
- exploring the feasibility of purchasing an additional
parcel of land in the southern area of the district within the next two years;
- exploring alternatives to the district's current leased space
arrangements for Red River Area Learning Center, Adult Basic Education and
programs housed in the Sports Center; and
- exploring the
feasibility of building a grades 5-6 building on the existing Horizon
Middle School site and converting the district's elementary schools to a grades
K-4 configuration.
Any
new school construction requires voter approval with a vote to occur sometime during 2015-2017
for a possible opening date in the fall of 2019.
Kazmierczak
explained that preliminary discussions related to a grades 5-6 building at the
Horizon site include a connection of the new building to the existing building
through common usage areas such as a new auditorium, additional gymnasiums and
a remodeled lunch room.
Based on current projections for 2018-19, a fourth
elementary school, possibly at Probstfield Center for Education, will be
needed.
The final recommendation is to create a facilities task
force to develop a long-range facilities plan with consideration to the three
long-term recommendations.
Categorized under: School