School board OKs plans for new Longfellow school

Support was strong and opposition nonexistent Monday as the Mitchell Board of Education gave its collective stamp of approval to construction and financing plans for a new Longfellow Elementary School.

The projected cost of the new school will be about $8.1 million — nearly $350,000 less than originally projected — and includes extras, such as a geothermal heating system and terrazzo flooring throughout.

Board President Dana Price, obviously pleased, said he thought bidding would be competitive on the project, “but I didn’t think it would be that good.”

Board member Eric Christensen was equally pleased. He said a highly competitive bidding climate took about $1.6 million off the originally projected cost of the school project over a 20-year period. The anticipated low-interest rates mean that annual payments on the school building will be about $535,000, rather than the $600,000 originally anticipated.

Greg Girard, superintendent of buildings and grounds, said terrazzo floor treatment is an excellent investment. The district annually spends about $75,000 to replace carpet in school buildings, he said.

The new school will be ready in the fall of 2010.

The meeting was moved from its regular Mitchell Technical Institute venue to the larger MTI cafeteria to accommodate the nearly 50 observers and supporters who turned out. Price, initially uncertain how to interpret the large turnout, announced that the evening would be dedicated to board deliberations, since there had been numerous earlier opportunities for public input.

As it turned out, the audience was simply there to applaud the board decision to build the school. No additional comment was offered during the public commentary portion of the meeting.

Board member Brenda Freidel, noting the list of 24 bid packages recommended for approval, said she was unfamiliar with several subcontractors and asked if references had been checked.

Wayne Puetz, president of Puetz Corporation, said the district will have insurance against problems, but Puetz also included his personal assurance that his company will stand behind the project. Puetz Corp. will handle construction management duties for the project, which has a $110,000 contingency budget.

The approved construction bid packages included: General construction: Puetz Corp., $1,320,007; Demolition: Schoenfelder Construction, $128,600; Earthwork: Schoenfelder Construction, $245,200; Asphalt: Commercial Asphalt, $61,000; Fences and gates: American Fence Co., $17,642; Landscaping: Mebius Nursery, $74,290; Masonry: J. D. Masonry, $964,370; Roofing: Guarantee Roofing, $247,667; Joint sealants, fire stopping: Jones Caulking, $16,320; Aluminum entrances, windows: Independent Viking Glass, $113,900; Wall systems: Dahlin Drywall, $285,894; Tile: O.L. Bussmus, $83,659; Terazzo flooring: Hawkeye Flooring, $466,800; Acoustical ceiling: F.M. Acoustical, $88,939; Wood floors: Athletic Performance Solutions; $42,300; Floor covering: Commercial Interior Décor: $63,820; Painting: R&K Painting, $72,375; Specialties: Combined Building Specialties: $115,602; Food service: Institution Services, $95,100; Elevator: Otis Elevator Co., $58,900; Plumbing and heating: Mitchell Plumbing and Heating, $891,930; Fire protection: Total Fire Protection, $107,463; Ventilation: Paulson Sheet Metal, $649,935; Electrical: Electric Construction Company, $551,038.

In the evening’s second major action, the school board approved Dougherty Company LLC, of Sioux Falls, in partnership with Wells Fargo, as the underwriters for the roughly $7 million bond offering on the project.

Thomas Grimmond, senior vice president for Dougherty, said the district should get an interest rate of between 4 and 4.5 percent on the bond offering but the actual interest rate will be unknown until the interest rate is set in about a month.

There is upward inflationary pressure on the bonds, said Grimmond, but “rates are still at 20-year lows. It’s just a good time to be in the bond market.” (See related story).

As part of the offering, the school district will be allowed to refinance the bonds after 10 years, said Superintendent Joe Graves.

Board member Bob Everson was out of town on business and was absent Monday.

In other business Monday, the school board:

- Approved the following personnel items: Early retirements: Tom Starr, industrial technology instructor; Randy Doescher, culinary arts, MTI; Tom Stirling, electrical construction maintenance, MTI, all at the end of the 2008-2009 school year. New hire: Samuel Sletten, MTI tutor, $6.75 an hour.

- Appointed Freidel as the school board representative to the Board of Equalization.

- Was informed by Principal Mary Wilson that Longfellow Elementary student Shelby Litterick, now a fourth-grader, has received notice from Gov. Mike Rounds’ office that, as a third-grader, she achieved a perfect score on the 2008 Dakota State Test of Educational Progress.

- Approved one home-schooling request and three open-enrollment applications.

Tags: school board, news, longfellow