Athletic Sports Complex Price Higher Than Expected

At the meeting of the McDonald County R-1 School District Board of Education on Dec. 13, the board learned that the gross maximum price for the athletic sports complex would be higher than expected. At a second meeting on Tuesday, the board discussed borrowing money for the project.

At the Dec. 13 meeting, John Kelsh of Controlled Technology Solutions presented the board with a price tag of $4.6 million, more than the original estimate of $3.5 million.

Board member Chris Smith asked if there was anywhere the board could cut back.

“You haven’t really gone that overboard, it’s just a big building. You’re getting a lot,” Kelsh said.

The building is designed to have a concession stand on the front, an observation mezzanine on the inside, an outdoor terrace on the front, a locker room, a weight room, a training room, a film room, a laundry room and more.

Board vice president Frank Woods questioned whether it would be possible to take the concession stand out of the design and add it onto the building later.

Board member Andy McClain asked if it would save $1 million to take off the concession stand. Kelsh estimated it would save $600,000.

Board president Scott Goldstein

said that, in his time on the board, McDonald County has never spent as much as $4.6 million on a single project.

“Unfortunately, some people will see it as a glorified gym,” he said. “We know it’s not a glorified gym. It’s so much more than that. It’s a lot of money on top of the fact that we’ve made another commitment for another structure at Noel Primary,” he said, referring to the tornado shelter that will be built at that school.

“I am a very conservative person,” said Superintendent Mark Stanton. “Our kids need a better facility. They need a bigger, better weight room. They need a locker room. The price tag of $4.6 million is high. I would love to see this scaled back and see that new number. We could make do. I know it delays it … we’ll still be proud of the end product.”

Goldstein said he is always concerned about tying the hands of future boards fiscally. He said he believes there is a happy medium and the building can be scaled down.

McClain said, “I think we need to be a little more responsible as far as our needs and our wants.”

Kelsh proposed that the board could make a motion to approve a budget of 4.2 million and CTS would come back with changes to the building.

The board did not approve a new budget, but plans were made for the finance committee to meet Monday.

At the Tuesday meeting, Kelsh presented the board with a new price of $4,166,358. The proposal included several changes, including making the concession stand textured panel instead of split-face block. The mezzanine was removed, landscaping around the building was removed, and the school district would assume the risk for soil mitigation if needed.

Board members were still not comfortable with the new number.

Woods again questioned whether it would be possible to take the concession stand out and add it later.

Kelsh said, “When you go to build the concession stand by itself, you’re not going to like the number.”

Stanton said the finance committee concluded that the school district would have to borrow money for the project since it already has another project planned at Noel Primary. He said the finance committee talked about borrowing $2 million.

He said he reached out to LJ Hart, which has seven, 10 and 15-year payment plans. The company was supposed to be sending him a letter of intent, but he had not received it yet.

Goldstein brought up the possibility of borrowing $3 million. He also questioned how much the board would have to borrow to have the mezzanine back in the design.

McClain questioned what a loan would be like if the board went with the original $4.6 million design.

Woods asked Kelsh if they could do better than $4.6 million. Kelsh said removing the landscaping from the building would save $15,000.

After much discussion, the board decided to think about it and discuss it more after obtaining information from LJ Hart. The board will meet Dec. 28 at a time yet to be determined.