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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

ELY SCHOOL BOARD

Surveys for Ely school facility project coming soon

Pending final board approval, in mailboxes mid-September

Keith Vandervort
Posted 8/16/19

ELY – Ely school district voters will have an opportunity to voice their opinions this fall about a proposed facility renovation project after a community survey is finalized later this month. …

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ELY SCHOOL BOARD

Surveys for Ely school facility project coming soon

Pending final board approval, in mailboxes mid-September

Posted

ELY – Ely school district voters will have an opportunity to voice their opinions this fall about a proposed facility renovation project after a community survey is finalized later this month. The renovation project, estimated to cost at least $5 million and possibly as much as $20 million, will require voter approval to become a reality.
In a short business meeting Monday night, Superintendent Kevin Abrahamson said the latest draft of the community survey would be ready for board members to review at their Aug. 26 study session. Once the wording is approved, the survey will be finalized and should be ready to send to the printer by the end of the month.
“Starting in the second week in September, the survey would be emailed to staff, followed by distribution, via email, to parents,” Abrahamson said. Mailed surveys to all district taxpayers would be distributed the week of Sept. 16, he added.
With this timeline in mind, the survey return deadline would be Oct. 7, and survey results could be presented to the school board by School Perceptions as early as Oct. 24. A special board meeting would likely be scheduled.
“We have some time on this,” Abrahamson said, “but I wouldn’t want the survey results no later than the middle of November to meet the timeline if you want to bond in February.” Any decision to bond will require voter approval, which would be determined in a bond referendum now tentatively set for February 2020.
Abrahamson noted that the survey can be completed online or by mail. “They are numbered, so a person can’t do more than one. However, if there are two voters in the household, each voter will have the opportunity to fill out a separate survey.” Instructions will be provided to access another survey for the same address.
Abrahamson received board approval to begin a media information campaign to explain the project to voters. “That could begin this week or next week and there will be a series (of articles), otherwise they could get too long,” he said. “The informational articles will also be posted on the school district’s website.
Board member Tony Colarich has been keeping tabs on interest rates this summer and said he anticipates a continued drop in the cost to borrow money later this year and perhaps into early next year.
“The Fed just lowered rates at the end of July, and will meet again in December. There is a real good chance they will lower rates again,” he said. “When the Virginia-Eveleth-Gilbert bond was passed, a 10-year bond was 2.75 percent, and today it is at 1.65 (percent). If we can get this (bond referendum) on the ballot in February, we can get more for less.”
Board member Tom Omerza pushed to get the survey approved and distributed as soon as possible. “We can hold a special meeting after our study session on Aug. 26 to approve the survey and move this process along,” he said. “The IRRR wants to see a passed referendum before they weigh in on anything.”
Abrahamson said that bid inquiries for the building connection link project should be ready by mid-September or mid-October.

Other action
In other business, the board:
• Hired Sarah Hansen for the Early Childhood Family Education Parent Educator position.
• Accepted the resignation of Craig Lindberg for the part-time bus driver position, effective Sept. 13, 2019.
• Hired Joe Baltich for the part-time bus driver position.
• Accepted the resignation of Kristy Johnson from the cafeteria aide position.
•Accepted the leave request from Martina Jarecki for the first quarter of the 2019-2020 school year.
•Approved the following coaching positions for the 2019-2020 school year: Tim Omerza, assistant boys basketball coach, Tom Omerza, assistant girls basketball coach, Megan Wognum, assistant volleyball coach, Jim Wittrup, assistant football coach, Randi Walker and Kelly Noble, junior high girls assistant volleyball coaches, Cory Musel, junior high football coach, Megan Devine, volunteer assistant cross country coach.
• Appointed a committee of Ray Marsnik, Tony Colarich and Heidi Mann to negotiate the superintendent contract.

Ely schools, survey, referendum