Members of the Crookston School Board met last night with two architectural groups to discuss plans for the new track and football field complex. The two groups they met with were Zerr Berg Architects out of Fargo, and Inco Group Architects out of Grand Forks. The plan to move forward in building a new track and football field comes after the school and the University of Minnesota Crookston couldn’t come to an agreement on a long-term lease on the university’s dilapidated complex.
Superintendent Jeremy Olson, chair of the board Frank Fee, and treasurer of the school board Tim Dufault sat down with the candidates. Dufault said the meeting went well and they would be winning with either group they select. “We had thought about just hiring the firm that had been working with us recently, but it’s a good idea to see what is out there” said Dufault. “Both groups have done some really good work, and at first blush, it looks like a coin flip and will be a very tough decision. We’re going to win either way.”
From here, the rest of the board will discuss the options. This will also give the candidates a chance to draw up some plans for the project to submit. “We have not decided yet for a date on the referendum, but it should be sometime this upcoming winter. That way both firms can get their plans in place for the project” said Dufault.
Dufualt said he considered the meeting successful, and when it comes to the budget of the project, it’s not set in stone yet. “We haven’t really put a number out there yet, ballpark it’s going to come in around $2.5 to 3 million. That’s what we’ve been told and obviously, we’re going to try and keep it as low as possible,” said Dufault. The groups both told the board they believe they can accomplish the project while coming in under budget, meaning there is a reason for the board and community to be excited. “The meeting went well and since interest rates will help us with the cost and we can sell a bond for very cheap on this project, there is a good chance we can come in under budget,” said Dufault.
The next board meeting is this upcoming week where the rest of the board will sit down and review the candidates’ information together.
