by Peg Craig
Contributing Writer
The St. Michael – Albertville School Board recently hosted a Capital Bonds Listening Session in the auditorium of Midddle School West to gather responses from the community to the proposed projects which could be included in a bond issue in February.
Interim School Board Chair Gayle Weber welcomed those who had come to the meeting and said that the Board members were there to listen rather than discuss. She stressed that the Board has acted to accept committee reports but has not decided to have a bond referendum or what items would be included if a referendum were held.
IDENTIFYING NEEDS
Superintendent Ann-Marie Foucault reviewed the process of identifying needs and the results of the process thus far. In April 2016 the Capital Projects Advisory Task Force was formed to “review and prioritize capital needs that address safety, security, building and grounds maintenance and repairs, improvement to facilities, energy efficiency, and replacement of technology.”
It consists of 17 community members including staff, parents, business leaders, and representatives of both Albertville and St. Michael. Director Jeff Lindquist represented the school board on the task force. In July they gave their recommendations to the school board. Security would be improved at school entrances to control access. Urgent repairs would be made to facilities, notably the junior high swimming pool. Energy efficiency would be improved throughout the district including new generators. Money would be used to maintain existing technology. New tennis courts would be built at the high school site.
Additional recommendations addressed classroom space and new athletic facilities for a growing district. New classrooms would be added to high school and the primary school. An all-season, multi-purpose sports dome would be constructed near the high school. This structure would allow practice and playing time for school teams and would be rented by youth groups in the area.
In order to consolidate high school athletic programs, an outdoor baseball facility could be built at the high school. Plans for a second sheet of ice at the arena in Albertville have also been included. If all pieces are included on a bond issue the amount is estimated at $33,223,450. Actual bids can take place only if the bond issue is passed. State equalization money would pay 40% of the cost of the bond so the maximum increase in taxes for a $200,000.00 home is estimated at $43 per year.
TRAVEL COSTS
A number of representatives of school and club sports teams addressed the board in support of the new facilities. Clubs are currently driving as far as Burnsville and St. Cloud to have practice time and would rather rent locally. High school teams are also paying rent elsewhere and would like to save on transportation costs and travel time.
A number of people mentioned that STMA high school is now competing with top level schools that have excellent facilities and needs to have playing time for school teams and the clubs that feed into them. They also suggested that if more space is available locally, more students would be able to participate. Both the dome and the ice arena were seen as probable revenue producers because there is a growing demand for athletic space.
Some people suggested that the Board propose several separate bond issues to allow voters to support specific pieces and not others. Others wondered how passing a large bond issue now would affect an operating levy due to be renewed in a few years. Questions were raised about how space and time would be fairly allocated and whether a new community room at the ice arena would compete with similar spaces in the cities of Albertville and St. Michael.
The STMA School Board will discuss the recommendations and the input from this meeting at the Monday, Sept. 7, board meeting, and decide whether or not to move ahead toward a bond issue and what it will include.
A final decision will be made in October, and if the board decides to pursue, the capital bond improvement question will be put to the voters in a special election February 7, 2017.