School will have to wait for state building money

CELINA - The state will not release its share of $51 million for the Celina City Schools school project in July as some officials had hoped but school board president Craig Flack assured residents the money would eventually make its way to the district, saying it will be well worth the wait.

District voters last month narrowly approved a roughly $75.9 million bond issue and a 0.5-mill levy to build a middle/high school and renovate the intermediate school with an addition that will house preschool-sixth grade.

Garmann/Miller and state officials have estimated the cost of the overall project at $126.8 million. The state would pick up 49% ($50.9 million) of the expense, and school district taxpayers would cover $75.9 million.

The $75.9 million figure includes $22.8 million in locally funded initiatives that are not co-funded by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
  Eric Baltzell, CEO of Garmann/Miller, the district's pre-bond architect, relayed to school officials an update from an OFCC planner.

"We were hoping for possibly a July (release) of state money. That's not happening. The state will not have their money for the project in July," Baltzell said.

OFCC has gotten behind on school building projects, Baltzell said.

"In addition to that, there are some projects going on that have experienced what we're all seeing with the construction (cost) increases," he said. "So they have a ton of requests for additional budget dollars."

The OFCC finance department, Baltzell continued, is quite busy trying to sort through all of these issues.

"They're working towards by the end of summer having a better handle on what they need to commit to and the timing of everything," he said. "What she told me, 'Celina and Massillon City Schools are the two districts that are lapsed districts that have their share so both of you would be at the top of the priority.'"

Since OFCC prefers to release funds near election cycles, there is a possibility Celina could see its state dollars in November, Baltzell said.

In the meantime, OFCC officials are very supportive of districts initiating site studies, such as surveys and environmental assessments, he added.

Flack said he knows many people are excited about the school project.

"We are getting $51 million from the state of Ohio and so when they tell us, 'wait,' we have to say, 'OK,'" Flack said. "None of us want to wait, to be clear. We want to keep moving but we actually cannot move forward until the state gives us that funding mechanism."

It's worth being patient for that amount of financial support and Celina is standing at the front of the line for its share of money, Flack said.

"We know we're going to get funded," he said. "We know the money's coming but the state is going through their budget process right now, so I don't even think the OFCC has any idea how much we'll have."

The total project millage rate starts at 8.2 mills. Of that amount, 7.7 mills would be for building project costs with a total bond life of up to 37 years and a 0.5-mill maintenance levy, which could last up to 23 years. OFCC requires the maintenance levy to ensure enough income to operate and maintain the buildings after they are built.

The owner of a $100,000 home would pay $287 per year, according to the Mercer County Auditor's Office.

The project would include moving the bus garage to the old Tri Star automotive classroom space at Celina High School. Next, a preschool through fourth-grade addition would be built onto the intermediate school, allowing the building to house preschool through sixth grades. The primary and elementary school buildings (East and West schools) would then be demolished.

A grade 7-12 building would be built on the site of the existing East school. The middle school and older parts of the existing high school building would be demolished. The 1998 high school addition would be renovated to house the Mercer County Head Start program and district central offices.

The education complex, including the auditorium, would then be demolished. The fieldhouse would continue to stand and a large locker room would be added to the north side to serve football and basketball teams. The new grade 7-12 building would include an auditorium and a competition-size gym. All buildings would be handicap-accessible and air conditioned and would have storm shelters.

Primary locally funded initiatives, which would not be co-funded by the state, include converting the 1998 high school science and media center addition to Head Start classrooms, a board office and central offices, $1.2 million; converting the 1984 high school Tri Star addition to a bus garage and storage, $210,000; repurposing the intermediate school office space to cafeteria space, $200,000; adding a fixed seat auditorium that holds up to 600 people at the 7-12 building, $3.5 million; converting the existing bus garage to parent/staff parking, $500,000; creating a bus pick-up/drop-off area on the east side of the PK-6 building, $500,000; adding a handicap-accessible playground at the PK-6 building, $100,000; adding square footage at the PK-6 building, $4.7 million; and additional square footage at the 7-12 building, $2.1 million.

There is also a secondary list of locally funded initiatives that would be undertaken "provided that the realized construction costs are either lower than or are as estimated, and the future interest which is collected is substantial," superintendent Ken Schmiesing said.

The secondary locally funded initiatives include a metal roof at the 7-12 building, $1 million; a metal roof at the intermediate school addition, $875,000; fieldhouse improvements, $500,00; fieldhouse locker room additions, $875,000; security upgrades at the PK-6 building, $154,000; security upgrades at the 7-12 building, $182,000; terrazzo floor in the 7-12 building main corridors, $270,000; terrazzo floor in the intermediate school addition main corridors, $150,000; all brick exterior on the 7-12 building, $455,000; all brick exterior on the intermediate school addition, $385,000; an air condition upgrade using an ice storage system at the PK-6 building, $192,000; an air condition upgrade using an ice storage system at the 7-12 building, $227,000; rebuilding the high school track, $250,000; touch screens in all classrooms at the PK-6 building, $105,000; touch screens in all classrooms at the 7-12 building, $120,000; and adding 1,000 seats to the new 7-12 building competition-size gym, $1 million.

The master plan was created with community input, Schmiesing said. In 2018, the district garnered 1,400 responses to a community survey and five community meetings were held, he said.