T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM — Bob Moore and Deb Wollam give a recommendation on the Miller Middle School plan during the regular Marshalltown Community School District Board of Education meeting on Monday. The recommendation is to renovate, rebuild and expand the middle school at an estimated cost of $57 million.

Renovating, rebuilding and expanding Miller Middle School was determined to be the best course of action by the Marshalltown Community School District Board of Education during the regular Monday meeting.

School board members approved the project option after listening to the recommendation from stakeholder group members Bob Moore and Deb Wollam, Invision architect Brad Leeper and Pete Perez with Boyd Jones Construction.

The option to renovate and rebuild was one of three, with the other two options being to fix what was wrong with the building and also to build a new facility. The Miller project will resize classrooms and add another on the southwest side of the building. On the east side, larger commons, kitchen, entry, leadership space and gym will be constructed. New artificial turf and a track will be installed at the Franklin Elementary field to accommodate middle school sports.

Perez and Leeper explained the initial project plans and phases. The project team is taking various aspects into consideration, such as the logistics. Perez said more information is needed because they want to make sure they understand how the facility is used.

“We want to understand how students move, and we certainly want to understand how the community uses the spaces after hours and on weekends,” he said.

If the necessary signatures are collected, a $57 million bond referendum will be placed on the ballot Nov. 5, allowing voters to decide the fate of the Miller Middle School and Franklin field project. It would also include $49 million in bonds against the sales tax for a total project cost of $106 million. The sales tax dollars would not require additional voter approval.

Wollam told board members the renovation option was chosen because of the higher chance of passing at the polls.

“It is this group’s belief that our recommendation has the best opportunity of gaining community support, relative to the future bond referendum,” she said.

Leeper said the bond would create a $2.70 per $1,000 levy rate, which is a more conservative option.

“That is an option that requires a 60 percent plus one vote from the public, which is what we’re going out for,” he said.

Leeper gave a few examples of how Marshalltown residents would be impacted per month. A $200,000 valued residence would pay $9.37 per month for the levy, while a $500,000 commercial property would pay $41.01 and agriculture land would be 17 cents per acre. With the levy, Leeper said the future tax rate is estimated to be less than the 16-year average.

He said the next steps are to approve the ballot language of the bond, and start gathering petition signatures. Signatures from 25 percent of the last school bond election voters are necessary for the petition. The signatures must be submitted two days before the August school board meeting at which the election will be called. The deadline to file the petition for the election at the auditor’s office is Aug. 28.

Moore shared some of his background with the board, noting that he graduated from the facility when it was the high school.

“For me, it is my alma mater. . . I was fortunate enough to be asked to sit in on the committee work and the various groups that were allowed to attend and listen to the architects we will hear in just a moment,” he said. “I was quite honored to be able to do that and it meant something very special to me, to be a part of that endeavor.”

Moore said he worked hard to maintain an open mind and hear the various proposals. He indicated that it was important for Miller to be remembered not only for its education, but also for its history.

“It’s important for a structure to be remembered and, if at all possible, be retained,” Moore said. “That was my leaning from the very beginning. I have to admit I did not lean toward tearing the structure down and building someplace else. Having been on a couple tours of the building and seeing the condition of many of the locations in the building, I was not particularly enamored with the idea of ‘Let’s just fix it up and move on.'”

He wanted to find a solution that would solve the problems at Miller while improving the structure, and he believed a middle solution was reached and presented.

“Let’s keep this structure. Let’s work on this structure. Let’s rebuild. Let’s maintain. Let’s make it even better. That is the one that has appealed to me,” Moore said.

Wollam said the plan to renovate and expand is bold, and will provide necessary upgrades that will allow the school to meet student needs for generations to come. She said the plan is a testament to the pride found in Marshalltown, and is conducive to 21st century learning.

“I might call attention to the word ‘bold,'” Wollam said. “It was brought to our attention by Invision Architects and Boyd Jones Construction more than once in our meetings. They were impressed by our initial surveys and members they met with, indicating we in Marshalltown felt we needed a bold plan, more so than maybe they have heard at most districts they have worked with elsewhere.”

After the presentation, the board set an Aug. 5 public hearing for the bond issue.

In other business, the board members:

• Approved a $126,917 change to the Marshalltown High School Career and Technical Education wing.

• Approved the exchange of land between the district and the City of Marshalltown. The exchange would be district-owned property at Bicentennial Park and the lease to Arnold’s Park land for eight city-owned acres adjacent to seven acres the district owns between Sixth and 12th streets near the end of Southridge Road. The eight acres owned by the city would make it possible for the district to build another school in the future if necessary.

• Approved the contract amendment for Superintendent Theron Schutte. He will receive a three percent raise, bringing his annual salary to $260,144. Schutte’s contract will end June 30, 2026.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.