South Adams to appear at DLGF (08/15/07)

BERNE - South Adams will make its case for a $25 million school construction project Thursday morning to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.

That's the final hurdle before work can begin on a new kindergarten through grade eight facility that will adjoin the current high school.

A delegation of board members, staff, and community representatives is expected to make the trip to Indianapolis for the DLGF hearing. It's not known when the DLGF will make a decision on the project, and some board members are concerned that the current uproar over property taxes could make the new school a political casualty.

Board members made several final steps on the project Tuesday, unanimously approving:

•A resolution to move forward on construction of the K-8 facility.

•A resolution that, following required public hearings, the board determined that holding classes year-round would not solve the building problem.

•A resolution approving a lease agreement with the South Adams School Building Corporation, which will own the building. Lease payments from the school corporation to the building corporation will pay off the construction bonds.

•A resolution approving general obligation bonds of $2.4 million, which represent a portion of the total $25 million price tag. School officials said that by splitting the financing into two separate bond issues it was possible to get better terms.

Meanwhile, the board learned that improvements to the high school's swimming pool, which are being paid for from the capital projects fund will cost significantly more than originally estimated.

At the time of the initial hearing on the construction project, modifications to the 30-year-old pool were estimated to cost about $500,000. Bob Wede, business development manager for Performance Services of Indianapolis, told the board the work will cost about $300,000 to $400,000 more.

Performance Services did not prepare the original estimate but is now involved in a design-build upgrade of both the pool and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system at the high school.

Wede said the original estimate was simply for making the pool deeper and did not cover such items as filtration and demolition. He estimated it will cost about $260,000 for work on the walls, ceiling, duct work, and lighting and about $295,000 for a new filtration room.

Board member Arlene Amstutz expressed misgivings about the rising cost estimates. "If we're going to come back and keep adding more stuff, I'm kind of concerned about it," she said.

But board members noted that sufficient funds had been appropriated from the capital projects fund and decided to move forward.

"I don't believe we have any choice," said superintendent Cathy Egolf. "We promised the community we would do this."

Part of the work will be done this fall, with the deepening of the pool work slated for next summer.

Wede told the board work on the high school HVAC was going smoothly, and that the design-build approach had resulted in significant savings already.[[In-content Ad]]