Carson City school board approves $24.5M in building projects

The Carson City School District Board of Trustees approved $24.5 million in capital improvements Tuesday night.

That approval came a short time after the trustees approved $7 million in energy conservation projects for district school facilities.

The board authorized a $7 million purchase agreement with a term of 20 years to finance the cost of acquiring, constructing, improving and equipping energy projects in the district.

The school district will repay $517,600 a year after approving an installment purchase agreement that will be paid out of the district’s general fund through 2037.

The board was told by JNA Consulting Group, LLC the installment purchase agreement made the most sense compared to bonding.

No public comment was received and the board approved the motion unanimously.

The board also voted on its proposed capital projects for 2017-2020. The board took the recommendations of the Facilities Master Planning Committee, which was facilitated by Superintendent Richard Stokes, Operation Services Director Mark Korinek and Andrew Feuling, director of fiscal services. The board voted to sell the 2017A School Bond to raise $15 million of the $24.5 million needed for the proposed projects. Other funding sources will be $7 million from the installment purchase agreement, $1 million from the PAYGO funding and $1.5 million from the capital projects fund from the Government Services Tax.

The funding will be used on the following projects:

$4 million for Fremont Elementary expansion

$4 million for Mark Twain Elementary expansion and to remove portables

$4 million for Pioneer High School expansion and to remove portables

$850,000 for Seeliger/Bordewich elementary school improvements and to remove portables

$800,000 to $1.150 million for Fritsch Elementary connections and expansion

$675,000 for a STEM lab at Carson Middle School

$1.325 million for IT infrastructure and safety improvements

$1.5 million for district-wide “major maintenance”

$7 million in energy savings performance contract projects

The Pioneer improvements were the odd man out at first, but the district recognized the need and included the project after re-evaluating the district’s bonding possibilities.

“We are talking about a 1953 building with all the same hardware and windows … some of it is starting to fail,” Korinek said.

Fellow Trustee Stacie Wilke asked about looking for possible money to add a possible full gym at Pioneer High School. She estimated the cost at $750,000 but thought it would fill a need in the community and keep the district from having to go back to complete in the future.

Korinek said the Fritsch project may be more expensive now but cost effective moving forward to add classrooms when completing the connection between the two buildings.

School Board Trustee Steve Reynolds said he liked the idea of adding classrooms if it could be done “efficiently” in terms of cost.

Reynolds also asked about the next time the school district predicts it will need a substantial amount of money for capital improvements.

Feuling said 2020-2021 was the prediction.

“We have a lot of debt falling off then,” he said. “We should have at a minimum $20 million available.”

Feuling said that “should be enough” to build the projected new elementary school Carson City would likely need if projected growth models are correct.