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TR PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM – Marshalltown residents were given a full tour of Miller Middle School and learned why improvements to the old building are needed during an informational meeting Wednesday night.
(Editor’s note: This is the first part of a series of articles providing information about the Marshalltown Community School District’s Miller Middle School project.)
Constant standing water on the lower level, wet carpets, moldy ceilings and more were some of the things Marshalltown residents saw during a tour of Miller Middle School Wednesday night. After the tour, they attended an informative presentation on the school’s needs. It was the first of many meetings about the project and was led by Pete Perez, construction manager of Boyd Jones Construction, and Brad Leeper and Brian Lane of Invision Architecture.
More than 50 attendees learned about options for improving the school, along with possible sources of funding. There are four build options for Miller:
Fix what’s there. This option would focus on necessary repairs, including the HVAC system and fixing electrical and safety issues. It would not address classroom sizes or overcrowding in hallways. The tax rate project budget chart estimates a cost of about $40 million.
Reinvent Miller would renovate the existing facility, addressing classroom size and adding a classroom on the southwest end. It would add space to the east, which would include a larger common area and kitchen, entry and leadership space. This option is estimated at US$80 million.
Marshalltown Community School District Superintendent Theron Schutte greets attendees at an informational meeting about the Miller Middle School project. Brad Leeper of Invision Architecture is expected to lead the presentation, along with Brian Lane of Invision and Pete Perez of Boyd Jones Construction.
Reinventing Miller with “The Squeeze” would reduce the square footage of the first reinvention option. The auditorium would be repurposed and the band area relocated. The leadership area would be reduced by relocating it to the existing north and south wings of the 1925 building. This is estimated to cost about $75 million.
A new beginning would involve the construction of a new building that meets the needs of 21st century education. This is estimated at $100 million.
Leeper told the crowd gathered in the historic auditorium about financial options. Currently, $14.8 million is available from the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) fund, which MCSD voters voted overwhelmingly to reauthorize in March.
“This is typically used for maintenance – boiler [issues]the roof needs to be replaced, maybe there is a bus that needs to be replaced,” he said.
The next option is $48.6 million from the sales tax revenue bond, which Leeper said is also known as the penny tax. This money is redistributed to school districts by the state.
“This is being used to upgrade other facilities in the district,” he said. “There is money available there.”
There is also a $52 million ($2.70 fee) or $78 million ($4.05 fee) general obligation bond, which is used when significant projects are needed, Leeper said. He asked Superintendent Theron Schutte when voters last approved the bond and was told it was in 2005. Leeper emphasized that general obligation bonds are different from the school district’s general fund, which cannot be used for such projects.
“It takes 60 percent [voter] approval,” Leeper said. “There are some options there. One is that we can charge up to $2.70 per $1,000 in taxes to pay for construction. . . We can go up to a tax rate of $4.05 per $1,000. I don’t think anyone here is suggesting that.”
He said if the district goes with the “fix what we have” option, SAVE funds can be used, but it won’t solve the problems.
Leeper said he spoke to more than 100 people to find out what the priorities would be.
“It’s important for us to get the information right,” he said.
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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.
TR PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM – Marshalltown residents were given a full tour of Miller Middle School and learned why improvements to the old building are needed during an informational meeting Wednesday night.
Marshalltown Community School District Superintendent Theron Schutte greets attendees at an informational meeting about the Miller Middle School project. Brad Leeper of Invision Architecture is expected to lead the presentation, along with Brian Lane of Invision and Pete Perez of Boyd Jones Construction.
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