Public hearing on sales tax use for baseball/softball complex set for July 29

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The cost estimate for a new baseball and softball complex is substantially higher than it was previously, but the public will get an opportunity to find out why later this month.

At Monday’s meeting, the Charles City Community School District Board of Education scheduled July 29 as the date for a public hearing on sales tax use for construction of the new baseball and softball complex.

The hearing will be at 6:15 p.m. at the Charles City Middle School 7th-grade learning studio, at the time of the next scheduled board meeting.

The proposal is to use SAVE Revenue for the athletic facility infrastructure project. The current estimated cost of construction for the athletic facility is just over $2.3 million, a portion of which will be funded with donations.

This is higher than the previously estimated cost of just under $1.8 million, which was what was posted in Monday’s agenda.

Director Jason Walker expressed disappointment with the higher cost estimate.

“It seems like a large increase,” Walker said. “Up front, when we made these comparisons between the two sites, the price was one of the big things we looked at. It seems as though we were unprepared when we made the decision up front.”

Fisher explained the more than $500,000 difference.

“We believe that’s higher than the actual cost, although we won’t know until the bids come out,” Fisher said. “We’d rather that resolution be set higher. Our hope is, once we receive the bids, that it will be under $2 million.”

Walker said he would like to see the breakdown in costs, and how the district was going to cover the difference. Fisher said he would make the spreadsheet available.

“That’s a really big difference in cost,” Walker said. “But we don’t really have any choice at this point in time.”

In March, the board approved the building of a grade 5-12 athletic complex that includes a softball and baseball diamond and would sit on the high school/middle school campus. The site is located on land adjacent to the high school and middle school, along Comet Drive.

The intention is to break ground on the project this summer and have the complex completed and ready for use by the summer of 2020. The board designated half of the project’s cost to come from district funds.

When Fisher recommended the board approve the location for the complex at the time, he told the board that the total estimated cost would be just under $1.8 million dollars. He compared that price to the cost of another proposed location at Shadow Avenue, which was estimated to range from $2.5 million on the low end to $3.1 million on the high end.

‘SAVE revenue” (Secure and Advanced Vision for Education) is a funding stream also known as the local option sales and services tax for school infrastructure.

The board approved the public hearing unanimously. Before SAVE Revenue may be used for the construction of an athletic facility infrastructure project, the board is required to adopt a resolution setting forth the proposal and to hold a public hearing about the proposal.

“This is a new requirement, for a public hearing when you use sales tax for the construction of a baseball/softball complex,” said board Treasurer Terri O’Brien. “This was enacted by the state of Iowa on July 1.”

Money received for school infrastructure purposes shall be utilized solely for school infrastructure needs or school district property tax relief.

School infrastructure includes those activities for which a school district is authorized to contract indebtedness and issue general obligation bonds under Iowa Code. These include the construction, reconstruction, repair, demolition work, purchasing, or remodeling of schoolhouses, stadiums, gyms, field houses, bus garages, etc.

All members attended the short meeting Monday, which lasted just 12 minutes.

In other business Monday, the board approved the appointment of former Charles City varsity wrestling coach Dave Williams as “interim head varsity wrestling coach” starting in November. Williams, who teaches math, will transfer from his current position as middle school wrestling coach.

Robert Pittman will be assistant varsity wrestling coach next season and Leslie Staudt will be ninth-grade wrestling coach. Pittman and Ryan Fank have been “co-head coaches” the last two years. The board approved the resignation of Fank as head varsity wrestling co-coach and special education teacher in May.

The salary for Williams is in the amount of $6,800. Staudt’s salary is $3,600 and Pittman’s is $4,534.

Also Monday, the board approved the appointment of Janet Hansen, high school math teacher, starting Aug. 12. Hansen’s salary will be $53,118. The board also approved the appointment of Joshua Johnson as 10th-grade football coach, at a salary of $4,534, starting in November.

The board also approved stipends for Charles City Teacher Leadership and Compensation (TLC) success and instructional coaches David Voves (Lincoln), Marie Conklin (Washington), Kellie Boggess (Washington), Sheila Etherington (middle school) and Eric Johanningmeier (high school) in the amounts of $7,500.

The board also approved an additional $3,750 for Voves as TLC coordinator.