ELY – Will Ely students be issued hard hats later this year? More details are emerging on the $20 million facilities project for the Ely school district as plans are tentatively set for construction to commence on May 17, two weeks before the end of the school year.
Superintendent Erik Erie and the school board are making plans for a ground-breaking celebration in April with demolition starting the next month.
At their monthly business meeting, Monday night, held at Ely City Hall to allow for school board members to physically attend while COVID-19 public health protocols remain in place, Erie addressed several new developments in the project, including new building relocation, main water line replacement, building demolition and student/classroom displacement before the end of the year.
As Erie related from a recent facilities committee meeting, a decision was made to relocate the additional bus garage for the district’s student transport vans and SUVs to near the Ice Arena, rather than adjacent to the existing bus garage.
“We wanted to build the new structure next to the existing garage, but that presented some problems with storm sewer and underground utility conflicts,” Erie said. “We are still working on what the additional cost will be.”
The ongoing lead-in-the-water problem on campus is being addressed. In addition to installing new water fixtures and building water pipe replacement, a new main water line on Harvey Street, estimated to be more than 100 years old, could go a long way in mitigating the problem.
“We continue to evaluate (water) service lines into the building,” Erie said.
School board member Tony Colarich, who also serves on the facilities committee, noted that the length of the main water line under Harvey Street runs nearly 500 feet from Fourth Avenue to Sixth Avenue. “It looks like that line was installed in 1905,” he said. “What impact that line has on the lead-in-the-water problem has not been determined.”
With building demolition and construction set to begin prior to the end of the school year, the impact on students is yet to be determined.
“We do know that we have to move industrial arts equipment out of the building, but again, (timing) is subject as to when they need to get at that (Industrial Arts) building. The band classroom and Happy Days preschool program may be disrupted in May,” Erie said.
The demolition of the former steam plant between the Memorial and Washington buildings is one of the items at the top of the project list and will likely also begin in May, according to Erie.
Costin Group
agreement
Board members unanimously approved renewal of a lobbying agreement with the Costin Group for one year at a cost of $2,000 per month.
New board member Darren Visser voiced his support for the lobbyists, Gary Cerkvenik and Ely alum Jeff Anderson, but looked for clarification on the contract cancellation clause.
“I want to make sure that we don’t just write a check for $24,000 tonight without having some sort of review process,” he said. “I want to make sure there is some sort of review process to make sure we are getting what we expect for our money. I have full faith in them, but we do need some sort of a check process.”
The renewed agreement calls for a 90-day cancellation provision by both the Costin Group and ISD 696. The Costin Group will continue to bill the school district on a monthly basis and provide regular activity updates, according to board member Rochelle Sjoberg.
Board chair Ray Marsnik related a recent development where the Costin Group continues to go to bat for the Ely school district in St. Paul. They have included ISD 696 in efforts to promote a state legislative action to exclude sales tax on materials, products and supplies for school building construction through the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools, he said.
“Costin Group contacted (our legislators) Sen. Bakk and Rep. Ecklund, and they are working on a revised bill to include Ely in on this for our building project,” Marsnik said. “This could mean a few dollars (savings) if that goes through. That shows how the Costin Group is working for us.”
Colarich put the impact on that proposed sales tax legislation into perspective. “With state sales tax at about seven and five-eighths percent, and our $20 million project, if we were to extrapolate out the cost of materials at perhaps $5 million, we’re talking about $400,000 (in savings),” he said.
Other business
In other business, the board:
• Listened to and accepted the fiscal year 2020 financial audit presentation by Devin Ceglar of Walker, Giroux & Hahne, the district’s auditor.
• Introduced the district’s new payroll benefits and finance coordinator, Jordan Huntbatch.
• Adopted the 2021-22 school year calendar that calls for 172 total attendance days, with the first day of school on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, and the last day of school on Friday, June 2, 2022.
• Approved Jill Homer’s request for a leave of absence from Feb. 16 to March 15, with a possible extension through the end of the school year, without pay and without loss of rights and privileges, from her paraprofessional position.
• Approved Donna Kari as head speech coach, Dylan Fenske as volunteer assistant junior high boys basketball coach, Reed Peterson as assistant boys basketball coach and Megan Wognum as head volleyball coach.
• Approved the Resolution of Intent to Issue Facilities Maintenance Bonds.
• Agreed to study the proposed school board retreat facilitated by Big River Group for $3,000.