The proposed career technical education classrooms at Lisbon Community Schools could come in at almost $5.1 million. That’s about the cap of what the school can borrow from SAVE funds at the moment.
That was the estimate provided by Allan Mallie, John Prasil and members on the facilities committee who had been researching the project.
The cost per square footage for the addition were estimated at $250.
The group was proposing an L shaped addition that would be located to the south of the superintendent’s office and wrap along the east end of the Lion’s Den.
The proposed career and technical education industrial arts classrooms would be located on the first floor, with one classroom designated for woodworking, and an adjacent room for painting, varnishing and other learning tools.
The plan by the committee would also provide a new entrance to the Lion’s Den that would tie to the industrial arts wing, but also allow the Lion’s Den to be isolated from the rest of the school after hours.
That new entrance would hold concession stands, restrooms and locker rooms, as well as relocate the weight room to a room on the second floor above that new entrance to the Lion’s Den.
“Securing this building after hours is something we struggle with at this point,” said Rod Kelley, facilities manager. “If someone’s able to rent the Lion’s Den or LECC gymnasium, they still have full access to the entire building. There are Monday mornings we don’t know what we’re going to find after these weekend events.”
Prasil said that adding the locker rooms and restrooms was a significant cost to the project, as drawing water and sewage lines to that area of the building and tying into current sewer and water mains will be costly. That could be something that gets taken out of the project if it proves too costly.
Moving the weight room from the old gymnasium to above the new Lion’s Den entrance would free up that gymnasium space to be reutilized by the district, provided the district is able to replace the floor there.
Farther to the east of that new L shaped wing, would be a few additional classrooms on a second-floor addition that would connect to the hallway near Brandon Horman’s classroom. Those classrooms would provide space for the industrial arts program, as well as another classroom that could be utilized by another career technical education opportunity in the district in the future as the programs there grow.
The plan currently does not have classrooms located directly above the industrial arts workspaces, but those could be added at a later date. Mallie noted they would build a concrete roof as part of those classrooms, which would allow the district to add additional classrooms in the future.
School board member Abbe Stensland said while she was in support of taking advantage of borrowing for the project now while interest rates are low, she had concerns that revamping the old gymnasium floor should be part of the $5.1 million project.
“If we could get this and the old gymnasium to be a usable space in this building, I’m sold,” Stensland said. “We’re not going to get a chance to borrow money as cheaply as we can right now, and the longer we delay, the higher interest rates are going to be.”
Stensland noted she expects interest rates to increase by this fall, which would reduce the amount of money the district is able to borrow.
Another costly project the district is hoping will tie into the building plan is addressing the drainage issues at the outdoor recess area for the elementary school to the east of this new wing.
Kelley noted that the grass seeding is not working in that space, as the grass gets compacted in a short amount of time, and winter and spring snow and rain create a mud pit not usable by kids.
“It’s just got too much of a slope in such a small space, and any work we do is going to have to level the slope to make it something usable,” Kelley said. “No matter what we do, we’re going to have to do something with that slope.”
The estimate Eric Ries had received for the drainage and turf work for the playground was roughly $290,000, much more than the original estimate the committee had been anticipating
Many of the other items to be addressed by the district were items in the $20,000 to $40,000 range, and could be tackled with other funds from the district over the next several years. The district will work with Kelley to prioritize a few of those different smaller items to be addressed each year in the future to remain more proactive than reactive to needs for the district.
FundingThe board heard from Matt Gillaspie of Piper-Sandler at the start of the meeting, outlining the funding available for the district.
The district can borrow up to $5.1 million if they levied for the SAVE dollars, Gillaspie said. The SAVE dollars would not be an increase in current taxes, as it utilizes sales tax revenues and the district has already passed a revenue purpose statement about utilizing SAVE funds for this type of project.
The board also could generate $380,000 from PPEL funds, and if the PPEL were to be extended when it sunsets in 2025, that could be used to fund an additional project.
The board could also borrow up to $5.1 million from general obligation bonds.
While the district’s three funding streams can generate up to $10.5 million, because of outstanding debt and the current property valuation of the district, Lisbon can only borrow $7.856 million before reaching the top of the district’s debt capacity.
“That could increase as property valuations increase in the district, but this year is where that debt capacity remains,” Gillaspie said.
Gillaspie said that while the district can utilize the SAVE dollars for the project, a public hearing will still need be to held. Following the public hearing, the district needs to wait two weeks to make sure they are not petitioned by taxpayers in the district. If 100 voters petition the board against the project, that could force the project to a vote instead. That vote would pass by a simple majority.
With a vote, any project could be delayed until the next special election date, which would push borrowing and the project to September to be approved or disapproved by voters.
The board intends to discuss a possible architect for the project at April’s school board meeting, and look to set a public hearing for the project in later April or early May, to allow funding for the project to be drawn by early July.
The district, Gillaspie noted, could have the money for the project sit in banks for a few months or a year until the project gets fully underway, but the district needs to have a clear and detailed plan as to what the money will be used to help construct.