Options reviewed

School board members reviewed information about finances and facilities.

They have more questions before any decisions can be made.

During a work session Monday, Jay School Board members brought up or heard questions regarding the food service area, tennis courts, track and stadium grandstand as part of a discussion about a potential capital improvement project at Jay County Junior-Senior High School.

The board heard a review of information that had been presented to it over the last few months, including that bonds from previous projects will be repaid in the next few years. That is projected to provide the school corporation about $18.3 million in bonding capacity without raising the tax rate, according to details from consulting and accounting firm Baker Tilly. (All other outstanding bonds will be repaid in 2033.)

It also looked at information from a building study by engineering and architecture firm Barton Coe Vilamaa that rated exterior steel work, the pool roof and dehumidification system, water mains, building controls (for heating/cooling), the main electrical panel and non-compliant guardrails as high priorities. It also reviewed other areas that have been suggested for improvements, including the band/choir areas, auditorium curtains, TV studio, food service, wrestling practice areas and outdoor athletic facilities.

Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley noted that the goal is to sustain the building, which houses 43% of the corporation’s students, for the long term and to improve functionality in some areas.

“It’s not set in stone,” he said. “There’s things that could come on the list. There’s things that could come off the list. There’s things that could be modified.”

The most costly items in cost estimates presented Monday were replacing the building’s heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) controls at $3.2 million, upgrading the electrical service at $2.1 million and replacing the pool dehumidification unit at $1.6 million.

The board was presented with three options for the stadium grandstand:

•$723,380 to make repairs to the existing grandstand to extend its life for 10-plus years

•$1.7 million to replace the grandstand with bleachers in the same location

•$2.1 million to take down the current grandstand and move the home bleachers to the opposite side of the field, as had been proposed in a previous plan

After reviewing all of the information, board members took turns commenting, with several bringing up the tennis courts — reconstruction and lights are estimated at nearly $850,000 — as an area in need of further improvement. Marcie Vormohr asked about the possibility of adjusting the layout of the courts in order to make them more spectator friendly, including moving them further away from the adjacent softball field.

Several board members noted areas that are top priorities, with president Ron Laux referring to the electrical and HVAC work as “critical.” Chad Towell concurred, while Donna Geesaman noted the electrical upgrades and pool equipment. (Towell also asked for more information regarding the tennis courts, track and proposed food service improvements.) Aaron Clark expressed his desire to be fiscally conservative, noting the high price tags on the HVAC, electrical and pool components of the potential project.

Chip Phillips reiterated the importance of not increasing the tax rate and asked why so much work is needed all at once. Gulley responded, saying the school corporation is limited by its budget constraints while also noting previous projects that included renovations at the junior-senior high building in 2006 and 2019.

Jon Eads acknowledged that the board will have some difficult decisions to make and encouraged feedback from the public, asking residents to contribute to the process rather than complaining after it is complete. (A survey is available online at jayschoolcorp.org/page/school-board, as is a recording of Monday’s meeting and the documentation that was presented to the board.)

Setting a timeline, Gulley noted that the public survey will be open until April 15. The board will then solicit and consider input at its April 21 meeting. A first public hearing on a potential project could be held in May, with a second to follow in June. 

If a project was approved at those meetings, design could begin in late July, with bidding in early 2026 and construction to follow.

Gulley noted that a capital project of the size being considered would likely need to be “sequenced” rather than being completed all at once. It could stretch over two to three years.