The Delmar School Board approved a bid for a new pole building during a special meeting on March 27. Among the items discussed at the March 19 board meeting was a possible certificate of necessity for a new school.
The pole building will be constructed on existing concrete, next to the baseball field. The building will be over 3,300 square feet and will be used for athletic storage and indoor practices.
A pre-bid meeting was held on March 4 and bids were opened on March 21. The pole building will have insulation, heat, and air conditioning. Bids ranged from $258,558 to $412,000.
Becker Morgan Group recommended awarding the bid to the low bidder, Pole Buildings Unlimited of Camden-Wyoming for $258,558.
The district has a grant for $252,000 for the project. If there is any money leftover, athletic flooring (rubber matting/turf) will be installed in the building. The board approved the bid award. The building is expected to be up in time for the start of the fall sports season.
During the March 19 meeting, the board briefly discussed an assessment being done by Becker Morgan for a possible certificate of necessity for new school construction.
The firm is looking at potential sites and may present the proposal(s) at the May, June, and/or July school board meetings. The certificate would need to be submitted to the state by August.
“Things are progressing and we want to keep the momentum going,” Superintendent Dr. Andy O’Neal told the board.
The new school could potentially be for students in grades five and six.
The board was presented with an update on the district’s repair and maintenance plan, which is mandated through a 2022 Senate bill.
The template for the plan was given to the district in late January and is due May 1. The bill did not allocate any funds for the cost of completing the plan.
“We try to maintain the building the best we can with the money that we have available,” said Director of Facilities Robert Searcey.
Chief Operating Officer Monet Smith said the legislation came from air quality issues during COVID.
