Board okays construction, scoreboard projects

By Curt Nettinga of the Plainsman
Posted 10/29/24

Notes from October 28 Huron School District meeting

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Board okays construction, scoreboard projects

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HURON — The Huron School Board unanimously approved a resolution to issue up to $11.5 million in Capitol Outlay Certificates for a handful of projects in the school district.

The certificates will fund the CTE addition at Huron High School, a new roof on a different section of the high school, complete replacement of the roof at Huron Middle School, updated equipment for the Huron High School kitchen, a new boiler for Huron Middle School, as well as new and updated scoreboard for Huron Arena and at Tiger Stadium.

The projects were approved in two separate motions, with the board split on those votes.

Construction
The new CTE addition was presented at a total cost of $4.9 million to the board by Jim Weber of Puetz Design and Build, the contractor for the project. Weber also shared a bid of $ 938,000 to replace the final section of the roof at HHS that dates back to the building’s original construction in 1967, as well as the $2 million bid for replacement of the HMS roof. The CTE addition has been approved of a pair of grants, of up to $1.7 million, that must be matched by the school district and have deadlines of December of 2025 and May of 2026.

The discussion prior to approval revolved around the middle school roof replacement. School district Building and Grounds superintendent John Halbkat said that the annual inspection done of the district’s building’s roofs showed that the flat middle school roof - a rubber membrane topped with rocks - had been in place since construction, and that the membrane was not pulling away from the sides, as the inspector expected it to do after that period of time.

“They are of the opinion that as the membrane is not pulling away from the sides, it must be pulling at the seams, which we can’t see,” Halbkat told the board after board member Ray Cardona had questioned replacing a roof that had posed no problems to this point. “We have repaired a 20-foot section of a seam.”

While Cardona questioned replacing the roof, the other board members were apprehensive that a full roof failure could be catastrophic and lead to an even larger cost to the district.

The vote on the construction motion was 4-1 with Cardona’s lone no vote.

Score Boards
School district Activities Director Scott DeBoer presented the recommendations of a select committee, tasked with seeking replacements for scoreboards at Huron Arena and Tiger Stadium, with new video boards. DeBoer noted that a portion of the Tiger Stadium scoreboard has not worked this season and that Mike Dramstad, who oversees technology in the district, has resorted to finding replacement parts on internet auction site to keep the scoreboards at Huron Arena — which are nearly 20 years old — operational.

DeBoer told the board that new video scoreboards will keep Huron on the same level as other ESD and Class AA schools, and will help the district be more competitive when seeking state events. “It’s also a point of pride in our community, to have scoreboards such as these. At the same time, there is an opportunity for students to become involved in the programming and operation of the video boards, perhaps helping them determine a path for further education.”

The total cost of the upgrade scoreboards, after a discount from the supplier, Daktronics of Brookings, is $1,535,751.

During discussion by the board, Cardona pointed out that the contract calls for the school district to bear the cost of electrical work as well as engineering required for the project.

“The contract for the Arena boards calls for a climate controlled room - at a constant 65-75 degrees. I am concerned that we may approve this and then find ourselves on the hook for another $50-to-$60,000 in additional costs that we didn’t prepare for.”

District business manager Kelly Christopherson gave a comprehensive look at how Capitol Outlay Certificates have been used in the district, how they are paid for and the impact that approving additional certificates could impact the school district budget in the coming years.

Christopherson said that the school district transfers between $300,000 and $700,000 from its Capitol Outlay Fund, the amount of money collected from district property taxes that is set aside for projects such as these, to help with the General Fund.

“Depending on whether you approved the resolution for certificates and the amount of that resolution, we will need to strictly adhere to the budgets we set forth and will need to time any large expenditures to when we receive funds, which takes place in May and November,” Christopherson said. “A decrease in what we transfer, from Capitol Outlay to the General Fund, could have us facing a $400,000 shortfall.”

Board president Tim VanBerkum noted that while he was in favor of having updated scoreboards in the HHS venues, “If it comes at the price of having our administrators look at reducing staff, I can’t support that.”

The vote for the new scoreboards was 3-2, with both Cardona and VanBerkum casting ‘nay’ votes.

With the particulars decided, the board opted to approve the resolution at $11.5 million, although they were assured that the bond company would only issue the actual amount needed.

In other action, the board:
• Applauded school district Classified Employee of the Month Ginger Brake, a school nutrition assistant in the Madison 2-3 Center.
• Approved a total of 11 new hires in the district, to allow coverage beneath the school’s workman’s compensation insurance, and also approved a pair of resignations.
• Approved second readings of two policies for business office personnel, as well as first reading of five other policies, that will receive second reading and possible approval at the next meeting.
Approved advertising for bids for the equipment for the high school kitchen.

The board will hold its next meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, due to the Veterans Day holiday.