Proposed bond issue drops from $11.41M to $7M
The Giltner School Board has continued to pare down its facilities expansion plan in the wake of the failed attempt to pass a $11.41 million bond issue in May. At its October meeting held on the 17th the board again met with representatives from Wilkins Design, Hausmann Construction and First National Capital Market to discuss changes to the plan currently titled Option K.
While changes to the plan have not been finalized, the projected cost of the renovations is currently estimated to be less than $7 million.
Jacob Sertich, a representative of Wilkins Design Architect Firm, reviewed the items that were kept in from the previous school bond.
“Some things are still the same,” Sertich said. “The locker rooms (we) still have that here, still have the commons area and still have a new kitchen and concession, still have a new science lab, new public restrooms and then two new classrooms as well.”
Sertich said a major change involves the corridor by the main gym.
“(There was) a north corridor on the north side of the gym to enable spectators to get to the east side bleachers without having to cross behind the basketball goals on the floor,” he stated. “We’re no longer proposing a north hallway addition. We looked into it with Hausmann and we are now proposing a south corridor.”
While saying the commons area is smaller in Option K, Sertich said there is still space for students to eat during their lunch periods.
He said a serving window will be added facing the football field as well as a window on the east side of the school’s main gym.
“That way, all the stuff you keep in there, you close it, shut the door, and if you have a basketball game going on, nobody’s going to mess with it,” Sertich commented. “It stays clean right next to it. I think there’s plenty of opportunity to fine tune and tweak those details once we get further.”
Giltner Supt. Nick Mumm said the cost reduction from the original plan was achieved by the school board working to determine changes that were absolutely necessary.
“They’re trying to get to the very basic needs,” Mumm said. “The things that the survey indicated that the community members felt were important for our school to have, that they knew was important as well.”
The school board also discussed the possibility of using some space for a hallway to make it easier for students to get to their classrooms.
“A high school English classroom at 1,034 square feet, it’s pretty big,” Sertich commented. “I know one time, we had another option where the old science lab was divided into two rooms, but if it should be one classroom and it’s English, I would just punch through right there, instead of punching through the FCS room and taking away their storage.”
Along with new restrooms, the school board agreed to keep the proposal of adding a family restroom.
“Every sporting place I’ve been in the last six months has a family bathroom,” Mumm stated.
Board secretary Joe Happold and board treasurer Brad Schutt agreed, stating that a family restroom would also be beneficial for older or handicapped people.
“It becomes in handy for everyone,” Schutt said. “Whether you need it or don’t need it, it’s handy for everyone.”
Tanner Buchanan of First National Capital Markets also discussed the financial aspect of the proposal.
Before the conclusion of the meeting, the school board members along with Sertich, Buchanan and Volpp talked about a potential time line for a public hearing as well as setting a date for a second bond election.
“Next year, 2025, is a non-primary, non-general election year, so you can call it in any month,” Buchanan stated. “It’s always the first Tuesday after the second Monday. If you were going to consider something as early as January, that has never made sense to me for a lot of reasons. February is a possibility. It probably means you guys would be calling the election at your December board meeting or close to that.”
He said the proposal would need to be delivered to the election commisioner eight Fridays prior to the election.
Buchanan commented that often when school bonds are voted down the first time, they are usually more successful when they are rerun.
“A lot of these are not passing the first time just because the numbers are high and people are having a difficult time with that,” he said. “So you’re doing good work here it seems like.”
The school board, Sertich, Volpp and Buchanan agreed to further discuss potential changes to Option K and decide before January if they can move forward with presenting their ideas to the public.
In other action during the Oct. 17 meeting, the Giltner School Board:
*approved the Giltner Association of Educators;
*reviewed the superintendent evaluation process and timeline for review by school board members.