Meet with architect, financial planners
According to the Mountain Lake Public High School’s (MLPS) Building Committee Chair Tim Swoboda (and MLPS School Board Member), “We (the committee) are getting back on track.” Swoboda’s opening statement was made at a Wednesday, February 1 meeting with the school’s architect, Paul Youngquist of Architects Rego + Youngquist Inc. (ARY) of Minneapolis and financial planners, Mike Hoheisel, Managing Director and Matt Rantapaa, Vice-President of Public Finance, of Robert W. Baird & Company of Edina.
“We haven’t had a separate Building Committee meeting for a few months,” added Swoboda. “We have been meeting with the school board as they were dealing with a decision on the district’s indoor swimming pool. The decision to immediately close the pool allows us to move ahead.”
First to speak to Building Committee members (Chair Swoboda, Vice-Chair Tom Appel, Cheri Hanson, Jerry Haberman, Bruce Swanson, Bryan Bargen, Vern Peterson, Shawn Naas and John Carrison) was Youngquist. He laid out to the group that, “The time is now to make some motions; to focus on, ‘Should we do any of this?,’ ‘What financial options should we use?’ and ‘What would a possible timeline (leading to a building bond referendum vote) look like?'” Youngquist noted that if things get going by this summer, a bond vote could possibly be held in November 2017.
“You (school district) have been picking away at some of the maintenance things, using money for capital improvements from the “Operating” Revenue Referendum. Any decision moving forward on voter-approved or non-voter approved projects – or combination – free up funds for the pupils for which a referendum of this type is intended,” he continued. “If you have set what you’re doing by June, you will have the opportunity to know what the 2017 Minnesota State Legislature has done, and act from there.”
Youngquist presented a list of what Building Committee members had earlier identified as facility (capital) needs:
- New commons/new locker rooms/fitness area/remove 1903 building.
- Remodel indoor swimming pool for school-wide music education – elementary music, choir and band.
- Upgrades to two science labs.
- Upgrades to classrooms in 1940 building.
- Technology improvements.
- Upgrades to security system/doors.
- Early childhood new building construction and remodeling.
- Indoor air quality (IAQ) improvements (ventilation) to classrooms and gym in the 1930 building, classrooms and offices in the 1940 building, as well to the 1958 and 1970 building additions, the 1958 gymnasium/auditorium and the 1970 elementary gymnasium.
- Replacing fire alarm system, replace lighting, replace theater lighting in the auditorium and sound in the gymnasium and auditorium and replace auditorium seating.
The key now for committee members is to firm up and prioritize facility needs and assign those projects to the most financially-practical funding source – whether voter-approved bond funds, lease levy funds or long-term facility maintenance (bonded or yearly) – or combination.
And, of course, much depends on action legislators take.
