A million dollars doesn’t buy what it used to.”

Board member Lanse Carlson

Want to have a say on how or if your public school tax dollars are spent?
Now’s your chance. The Stanley-Boyd Area School Board is inviting the public to a meeting Monday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the high school library, in relation to a proposed new entrance and district office relocation, estimated at $2.89 million in total project cost if undertaken.
Brian Antczak of CESA 10 filled in the board with details at the December school board meeting.
“Tonight CESA 10 is delivering the results from the competitive bid project,” Antczak said.
“The bids were based off the plans and specifications that were put together by LHB, CESA 10, and input from you guys as well as the district.”
Originating from public comment on the importance of a secure entrance during public engagement on the failed referendum, the new project as proposed was to relocate the district office and make a more secure entrance.
Antczak said the project as proposed had seen strong interest from contractors, with six bids made overall and two additional bidders backing out at the last minute. Bids had returned with a tight spread of one percent among the top two bidders, a spread of 12 percent for all six.
“You can’t ask for better results for competitive bidding,” Antczak told the board. “One is it tells you they’re looking at the same thing and the other is it tells you they’re hungry.”
Bidders on the proposed project included Dell, Hoeft, Marawood, Rohm, 8Pine, and Scherrer Construction.
A separate proposal was made for fire alarm and HVAC controls, due to working agreements the school district has.
“That portion was not competitively bid out, but they did have to submit a proposal for that,” Antczak said of fire alarm and HVAC control.
Total project cost with all parts included was estimated at $2,897,510.06, or roughly half of current Fund 46 savings. The number matters as schools in general face uncertainty on state budget numbers, with Fund 46 able to pay for things like maintenance, in case of rough fiscal waters.
Antczak said CESA 10 was seeking board direction on the project.
“After reviewing the bid results, CESA 10 asks the board for direction,” he said. CESA 10 has been administering the potential project for the district, with LHB Architects of Superior providing architectural drawings. A committment would mean more detailed drawings, and money spent.
Not everyone on the board was convinced.
“So if we went with the project that’s proposed that’s more than half of what we have in Fund 46?” school board member Chad Verbeten asked.
“Yes,” District Superintendent Jeff Koenig said. Verbeten noted that the board had previously agreed on a figure of $2 million as decisive in the matter. Anything more would be a ‘no go.’
Questioned on items that might reduce cost Antczak said the high school office remodel and removal of the connector between the elementary and relocated district office could do this, postponement of the office portion lowering immediate project cost by about two-thirds. This however would still commit the district to finish said offices later, meaning no real savings. Building the offices out later would add a projected 10 to 15 percent to project cost.
“A million dollars doesn’t buy what it used to,” board member Lanse Carlson commented of the basic economics at issue.
Verbeten commented on the drawings shared to date.
“While I appreciate a nice entrance I didn’t need a flashy entrance,” he said of previously shared designs by LHB.
There was also the taxpayers to consider.
“I believe a significant portion of our constitutents would say ‘I’m struggling’ and we’re building, for lack of a better word, a ‘Taj Mahal,’” he said.
Making a decision that night without additional voter input wasn’t something that Verbeten was comfortable with. Factoring in as well was uncertainty on district enrollment, from which state aid is calculated.
“Looking at what our Fund 46 is, given the uncertainty of enrollment, how it went down some this year--not that it was completely out of line, but we don’t know, there’s some things we can’t anticipate,” Verbeten said. As such, caution was potentially more prudent.
Hoffstatter meanwhile returned to the importance of a more secure entrance and inevitable cost hikes.
“I’m going to play devil’s advocate,” she said. “Costs go up every year.” Waiting on a more secure entrance wouldn’t solve costs and may not be prudent.
Koenig noted that the high school entrance as it stood was already secure, the idea for a more secure entry coming from public feedback.
“Just to be clear we have a secure entrance,” he said. “This would be a more secure entrance.”
Questioned on timeline, Antczak said the board had about a month for bid numbers to stay as they were and still maintain contractor interest.
“Anything more and you’re asking for trouble,” he told the board.
Verbeten brought the conversation back to level.
“We are representatives of our constituency,” he said, “and this is a big decision.”
Bob Geist had a budget question.
“Is any of this state aided or is that just how it was set up?” he asked of the proposed project. Koenig replied that Fund 46 was already state aided, meaning no additional funds for the project without a referendum.
Motion to postpone a decision on the proposed secure entrance and district office remodel was made by Verbeten and seconded by Toni Seidl.
With no definitive action taken on the project at the Dec. 22 school board meeting, the public is invited to a special meeting for public input on Monday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the high school library.