ELY—The school board here is deciding how to distribute a $5.25 million state grant for athletic facility improvements across multiple sports programs, while questioning whether the proposed allocations make the best use of the limited funds.
During a study session Monday, Superintendent Anne Oelke and Jason Chopp, a project manager for SEH engineering, presented preliminary cost estimates for improvements to the district’s facilities. The largest single expense would be a standalone restroom and concession building serving the baseball and softball fields, estimated at $750,000.
Even though the money is coming from the state, overspending on the projects would mean the school district would have to make up the difference. As such, concerns over change orders and other project delays dominated early discussion.
“We’re not going over $5.25 million. We don’t have any other money because we’ve been in financial challenges for the last couple of years,” Oelke said. “We can only use $5.25 million right now, so we’re not going to go over a dollar more on that.”
Under the current proposal, the ice arena would receive between $937,000 and $1.02 million for structural repairs that would extend the building’s life by 50 years. The hockey program currently serves 17 students.
Football field and track improvements would get between $985,000 and $1.036 million. The combined programs serve 122 students– 47 in football and 75 in track and field.
Baseball field renovations, including the new concession building, would cost between $1.561 million and $1.89 million for a program with 43 participants. Softball improvements would range from $351,500 to $385,500 for 28 students.
Improvements to the gym would cost between $188,000 and $218,000. This year, 41 students are expected to participate in basketball, and 45 students are playing volleyball.
Allocation strategy
Several audience members questioned the distribution strategy, particularly given the varying participation numbers across sports.
“I worry that if you do a little bit in 10 areas, how much of a difference are we making?” said one audience member. “If you’re just going to redo the bathroom in 10 areas, how much did we change with the wonderful gift that we got?”
Another audience member suggested considering program health when allocating funds.
“Can we consider the health of any of the athletic programs when we’re figuring spending this?” he asked, noting that some programs struggle to field full teams.
The ice arena sparked particular debate due to its high-cost relative to participation. The facility requires structural repairs after a temporary fix that provided a three- to five-year window is nearing its end.
“It’s 20 minutes to Babbitt,” he said, referencing a neighboring community. “Are we taking away from some other sport to keep the ice arena going another 40 or 50 years?”
Strict timeline
The district faces strict spending deadlines: An initial $250,000 must be spent by July 2027, and the full $5 million by February 2028. The funds come with restrictions limiting their use to athletic facility improvements.
“It’s really tough spending this money when our school has financial operating expenses that we are challenged with right now,” Oelke said. “But there are strict restrictions on this money. We have to spend it for these things, and we have to spend it within a timeline.”
Unforeseen challenges
Chopp warned of potential complications that could affect costs. During preparation, the district discovered an abandoned city storm sewer running underneath the baseball field that may need attention before surface improvements.
“There’s a large empty pipe under the baseball field, and if we’re going to put money into the surface, I think we need to investigate whether it’s there, was it ever filled, is it hollow,” Chopp said. “If it collapses underneath the field, now you’ve got an issue.”
Next steps
The facilities committee will review feedback from the session and present a final project recommendation to the board in August. If approved, design work would begin with the goal of starting construction in spring 2026.
Oelke acknowledged the difficulty of the decisions ahead.
“This is not an easy gift to have,” she said. “We’re trying to touch everything and make some impact on everything, but we’re not going to capture everything, and we’re gonna have disappointment in our community.”