(MITCHELL) – The Mitchell Community School board conducted an open-session to discuss potential capital improvement projects after the debt service will be falling off in 2022-2024.
During the December 14th board meeting the Mitchell Community School Board must decide whether to take all of the $16.8 million in projects which will take almost three years to complete. The debt for all the projects will be paid off in ten years.
However, board members could decide to take two other options which will are to take on a few projects at a time. However, the costs may increase and cost taxpayers more in the long run. Should any of these other projects be put on hold the cost of interest rates, construction costs and other variables could cause price increases.
The greatest savings for the school corporation will be to take these projects on all at once and be able to keep the debt service rate for tax payers down.
Capital improvement funds can only be used for capital projects; they cannot be used for teacher salaries.
List of proposed projects:
High and Middle School
- Auxiallary Gym/ Concessions – $5,000,000
- Contingency – $250,000
- A/E Fees – $320,000
Elementary School
- Traffic Improvements – $1,100,000
- Roofing – $1,022,000
- Contingency – $200,000
- A/E Fees – $145,000
Athletics
- Practice Facility – $1,100,000
- Turf Football Field – $850,000
- Infield Turf Baseball/Softball (include drainage and irriagation) – $1,500,000
Adminstration
- Maintenance building – $ 1,000,000
- Demolition – $95,000
- A/E Fees – $69,000
Junior/Senior High Roofing
- Roofing – $765,000
- Contingency – $70,000
- A/E Fees – $52,000
HVAC/Chiller Replacement/Energy Upgrades
- HVAC/ Chiller Replacement/ Energy Upgrades – $100,000
- Contingency – $ 100,000
- A/E Fees – $68,000
STEAM/Lab Renovations
- STEAM/Lab Renovations – $584,500
- Contingency – $50,000
- A/E Fees – $47,000
George Link (VPS), Damien Maggos (Raymond James), and Jane Neuhauser Herndon (IceMiller) were on hand to answer questions about the proposed projects and how taxpayers could be affected by each proposal.
The biggest emphasis that Mitchell Community School Supt. Brent Comer and Mitchell School Board wanted to clarify is that there will be no tax increases to the local taxpayers by executing these projects.
Amanda May, Principal of Mitchell Junior High School, provided board members an overview of the proposed STEM and STEAM rehabilitation of integrating those two courses into Mitchell Community Schools. A plan is already in place and the middle school is ready to hit the ground running on those projects.
The roof project is not a complete roof replacement but rather being done to address certain areas of the roof that are in need of repair.
School officials are wanting to improve traffic patterns at Burris and Hatfield Elementary to make it safer for students during drop offs and pick-ups times.
Mitchell School Community School Board members say they want the public to be informed and transparency throughout the process.
