ELY — Contractors mobilized at Ely school facilities this week, launching construction on a $5.25 million athletic improvement project nearly two years in the making.
Superintendent Anne Oelke told the school board Monday that crews from multiple contractors were on site last week, with a follow-up meeting scheduled Tuesday morning to work out timelines at each facility.
The start of work will disrupt some summer sports schedules by making the softball field unavailable for summer tournaments. Athletics Director Tom Coombe said the field is already off-limits as crews prepare to begin work there.
“I said we’re going to look bad” if contractors hadn’t started and teams were being told games couldn’t be played there, Coombe said. He said the companies assured him work would begin as scheduled.
The board expects to receive the full contract package, including previously discussed change orders, at its next meeting. A minor cost adjustment related to contractor fuel and travel came up in Monday’s discussion, but Oelke said the project remains on budget.
The district has roughly $186,000 in contingency funds and used conservative estimates throughout planning. Final figures won’t be confirmed until the project nears completion.
The athletic upgrades are funded through a minerals tax belt grant, insulated from the district’s general operating budget. But the same board that greenlighted construction also voted Monday to adopt a resolution cutting positions and reducing hours across multiple departments as the district transitions to a four-day school week.
Under the resolution, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, custodians, cafeteria aides, and food service staff will all see their schedules reduced to Monday through Thursday, with adjusted start and end times. A secretary position was reduced from 200 to 176 days. The assistant principal position was eliminated entirely.
Teaching reductions hit several departments. Science, English, and social studies each lost one position from 1.0 to 0.8 FTE, while math was cut further, from 1.0 to 0.6 FTE. The media specialist position was also reduced to 0.8 FTE, and one K-6 teaching position was eliminated outright.
The resolution passed unanimously.