Trending
MARSHALL -- This fall, Marshall Public Schools will be taking steps toward a roofing project at two of its school buildings.
At Monday's school board meeting, Marshall Superintendent Jeremy Williams reported that a pre-bid meeting for roof replacement work at Marshall High School and Marshall Middle School is scheduled for Oct. 8.
"So the bids will be going out, and information about that will be coming out," Williams said. "Again, that project, we are looking to do a two-year project with that starting next summer. So bids will go out as early as this fall."
MPS approved a long-term facilities maintenance (LTFM) plan in July that included the replacement of the Marshall High School roof, part of the Marshall Middle School roof, and building facade improvements at both schools. The work would help address issues like recurring leaks at the school buildings.
"Marshall High School was built with a 20-year roof and has now exceeded its life expectancy," Tricia Stelter, director of operations at MPS, told the Independent.
On Sept. 8, MPS published a notice of intent to issue facilities bonds with a principal amount not to exceed $7.75 million, to finance the roofing projects. According to the notice, the school district's total debt as of July 1 was $33,278,000. If the proposed bonds were issued it would bring the total debt to $41,028,000.
In his administrator report to the school board this week, Williams said that the Minnesota Department of Education has completed a review of the plan for school roof and building facade work. MPS also selected Tremco Roofing & Building Maintenance as its project manager for the work.
According to information presented at the July 20 school board meeting, the total project budget for the roof replacements and building work, plus a 2.5% contingency, was about $6.72 million to $7.58 million.
The proposed work will take place over two years, in the summer of 2027 and 2028.
According to information presented at the July 20 school board meeting, LTFM was established in 2017, and folds in three funding sources that MPS received before then: deferred maintenance, health and safety, and alternative facilities. Once a 10-year LTFM plan is approved, the school district receives LTFM revenue through a combination of local property tax and state aid.
Stelter said the bond sale and issuance process for the roofing project will take place in spring 2027, and the school board will look at approving a resolution awarding the sale of facilities maintenance bonds.
Stelter said MPS will also be able to use debt excess balance that has been retained over the past couple of years to make payments on the bonds. That will allow the district to structure the new facilities maintenance bonds in a way that will maintain a level tax rate for taxpayers, she said.