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C-M awards construction contracts

2 min read

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Muse Elementary School is planned for at 11 a.m. Sept. 18 after the Canon-McMillan School Board awarded all construction contracts at a cost of $25.7 million at a special Wednesday meeting. Assistant Superintendent Scott Chambers said that figure still leaves some costs to be added on.

“There are a list of nearly 30 items that still have to be figured out, including stormwater, land management; all those associated costs. But school directors have indicated they’re aiming to keep the full cost under $30 million,” he said.

The new building for kindergarten through fourth grade is slated to open in August 2017. Muse, Cecil and First Street elementary schools will close, and students at all three schools will transfer to the new building, which will be constructed on property adjacent to the current Muse Elementary on Muse-Bishop Road. All three schools will remain open until the new school is completed.

The district plans to fund the project by issuing a 20-year general obligation bond and raising the district’s millage rate by 3.21 mills over the course of three years. One mill currently provides about $375,000 in collected taxes to the district.

Business Manager Joni Mansmann estimated in January that the district will be reimbursed about $6.7 million from the Department of Education’s Planning and Construction Workbook, but said those funds may be delayed because of a backlog in reimbursements.

The school will face some indirect costs, including an increase in electricity and personnel costs, and an increase in transportation costs because of the need to transport students who previously walked to the closing schools. But Mansmann said those costs will be offset by the cost savings of closing three schools.

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