The Crookston Public School District held a public meeting on Thursday night in the Crookston High School Choir/Orchestra Room about the multiuse facility.
Interim Superintendent Dave Kuehn began the meeting by presenting the facility, explaining it would be on the field at the northeast end of the school next to the tennis courts. The facility will house over 750 people with eight-track lanes, a press box, concessions stand, and bathrooms.
Kuehn then went into the benefits the project could give the district and community. Saying that the facility could provide broader opportunities and benefits for students and community members as many groups, including athletic teams and park and recs programs, students, and rentals for outside groups could use it for various sports and competitions. The new referendum would also allow the district to host MSHSL playoffs, and section track and field meets, which can be helpful to many local businesses.
Kuehn then went into the benefits the project could give the district and community. Saying that the facility could provide broader opportunities and benefits for students and community members as many groups, including athletic teams and park and recs programs, students, and rentals for outside groups. It also would be near the school to make it easy for groups like the marching band, physical education classes, and sports teams to use the facility for their practices and games, and would be much closer to the school parking lot. It would also improve parking situations for people that came to the school for sporting events. The new referendum would also allow the district to host MSHSL playoffs, and section track and field meets, which can be helpful to many local businesses.
He then went into a summary of the budget, explaining that the estimated costs for the project is $4,964,671 with a Bond Issue Total of $4,965,000, with the Artificial Turf Field’s construction costing 1,182,000, the track’s construction costing 837,000. The Grandstand & Press Box’s installation costing $387,000, the Lighting/Electrical work costing $715,000, and the Site work costing $924,000. The construction cost for the Concessions Stands and Bathrooms would be $178,000, with other Contingency costs equaling about $741,571. He explained that they were getting a lot of funding from the State due to the Ag2School Credit State Aid, which is paying about 36% of the project, making it, so Ag Land and Farmers only have to pay 15%. Commercial and Industrial businesses would cover about 18% of the project’s cost. Leaving the final 31% being covered by resident taxes and other sources.
He noted the preliminary tax estimate in which he explained that because the project price increased by just over a million dollars due to escalated construction costs, the tax impact on community residents had increased noticeably compared to its impact during the summer. Kuehn then gave an example of the tax’s impact with District Financial Advisor Shelby McQuay. “Every parcel has a specific value, so when you take those parcels in total, you’re trying to get to what your bill is going to be next year on your taxes. So, what we’ve done on our example is take an estimated home value of $175,000 and let’s assume you have 810 acres, and the average value of those acres is $6,000,” District Financial Advisor Shelby McQuay explained. “Let’s say you homestead all of your acreage, but only a portion of that falls into that first tier, we demonstrated a breakdown of how those are falling into each of those tiers, but the net effect for that total property will be $241. So, the House, Garage, and one acre (HGA) does not receive the Ag Credit, so after and before the Ag Credit is still $28 and the portion of the evaluation that falls into the first year will be taxed, and the credit then applies automatically and the credit of that effect that the farmer will pay on both the first and second tier is approximately $212.” To see what your property tax credit is and how the referendum would affect it, you can find it here: https://sites.google.com/u/0/d/1VWmh_ToO8NBRQWTHBEEV5cHu8jDKF0CC/preview.
McQuay gave more examples for differing Market Values per Acre where the estimated Average Market Value Per Acre was $8,000 per acre, for 810 acres, the Ag Credit would reduce the amount they would have to pay from $1,030 to $329. Kuehn explained that on the Ballot Question was the same as the ballot in August, but the only change was that the prices had creased from $29 to $33 a year (or $2.50 to $2.75 per month) due to escalated costs of construction. “The escalated costs in construction we knew really weren’t factored into the project cost number as well in the August vote. We know this $4.9 million cost is a little more accurate with escalated construction costs and that in itself,” Interim Superintendent Dave Kuehn explained. “When you spread that out amongst your tax space and district stakeholders, the $200,000 home that was $29 a year or $2.50 a month is now $33 a year and $2.75 a month. So yes, it went up, but when you spread that over all of your tax space, it is an increase, but we felt it was a minimal increase.”
He then opened the presentation to the public for any questions they had. One audience member asked about how the field events in track and field would work. Kuehn explained that the Long Jump area would be behind the visitors’ stand, with the pole vault area being behind the endzone closest to the school and the shot put/discus throw area on the farthest northwest area outside the facility. With a fence enclosing the entire facility except for the discus/shot put field.
Another audience member asked if the facility and track needed to be cleared for a spring snowfall event, if there was equipment that could be used to clear the field and track without damaging them. John Holten of Ziegler Architects reported there was a special brush that could be used to clear the turf, but no machines could be used as they could damage the field. For the track, Interim Superintendent Kuehn answered that they could use some shovels for the track after the snow melted a bit. “In my, and anybody with an athletic business background, is not going to let any equipment or snowblowers onto a track surface with any kind of heavy equipment or thing that is spinning onto the track. So, letting the natural nature of melting happen, maybe using shovels to break up snow piles, and that’s been done here and in many places,” Dave Kuehn explained. “For the artificial turf, you do have equipment that can remove the snow there, but there still has to be some melting and drainage before you do, but you can get on the artificial turf with equipment that can remove snow easier.”
When asked if a scoreboard would be added, Kuehn explained that it was not a part of the plan now but said he and Activities Director Nate Lubarski were working on ways to raise money via sponsorships and fundraisers to raise money to get it.
Another audience member asked how long the artificial turf would last. John Holten responded by saying that they lasted about 10 to 15 years, depending on the activity on it, and the replacement of it would be a simple process of just replacing the carpet of the turf, which would cost about $750,000, which the school could use its LTFM dollars to purchase.
One audience member asked if there were other material options they could use to prevent injuries on turf that have grown over recent years. Holten explained there were a few different materials and different carpet heights so that the schools could add different levels of sand and rubber filling.
Another member asked if there were other referendums the school was still paying for that this would add to. Shelby reported the bus garage’s referendum that was made in 2020, parking lots that had been built in 2015, an HVAC project in 2013, and a refunded bond for a school building in 2013. Kuehn reported that this information would be included in future referendum information presentations.
The final public meeting about the facility before the election on Tuesday, February 14, will be on Tuesday, February 7, in the Crookston High School Auditorium. You can see more information about the referendum and your property tax credit at the link here: https://sites.google.com/u/0/d/1VWmh_ToO8NBRQWTHBEEV5cHu8jDKF0CC/preview.
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