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Weathersfield seeks OK on $26M school project
By Mary Smith
MINERAL RIDGE
The Weathersfield Board of Education is asking the Ohio School Facilities Commission to renew its conditional approval funding for a school renovation project.
Costs for the project have jumped to an expected $26 million or $27 million, schools Superintendent Damon Dohar said — all of which will be covered by state funding and a local bond issue.
As a “lapsed” district, which did not pass a local bond issue the first time the commission approved it for the program, the district must go through a different procedure to secure funds for the project from the OSFC.
Since a local bond issue now has been passed, the district must again request approval for the funds from the commission.
Plans for the initial work on local school buildings are currently expected to cost $25.4 million. The state share would be $17,889,137 and the local share will be $7,552,914, with additions.
In addition to that figure is $592,139, for locally funded initiatives, which is money to be used for work on the high school auditorium and miscellaneous other needs.
Dohar said the district also plans to build a second new gymnasium at the high school for use by the junior high, a project expected to cost $1.5 million. Dohar said original plans to keep the middle school gym have been scrapped, because it is more cost effective to build a new gym.
He anticipates that once the project is completed, it will cost between $26 million and $27 million, all paid for between the bond issue and state funds.
A 6.6-mill, 30-year bond issue to generate $9 million was passed in March along with a 1-mill continuing levy to generate $85,521.
The district is considered a lapsed district because it was unable to pass a levy to support original plans for a $19 million project in 2009. Continued attempts to pass a local bond issue for the local share of the project failed four times, the last time, in November 2011, by just 16 votes.
The OSFC will meet July 12 to consider approval of the revamped application.
The district has hired MS Consultants of Youngstown as architect for the project, and officials will meet with three potential construction managers on June 22 for pre-interviews on the project to inform the companies of plans for the work.
Plans include renovations or additions totalling 22,474 square feet to the classrooms at Seaborn Elementary School and partial demolition of the original building, built in 1959, of 35,501 square feet. The building will now house grades K-6.
Renovations to Mineral Ridge High School are also planned to house grades seven through 12 and career tech students, plus a new, second gym.