The Crookston Long-Range Planning Committee met following the school board meeting on Monday. Superintendent Jeremy Olson solicited the committee for direction on proceeding with a University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) proposal for a 20-year lease of Ed Widseth Field by the school district.
Olson said if the current track were salvageable, he would have a different feeling, but given its current condition, the proposal wouldn’t be in the district’s best interest. “We very much value the partnership we have with UMC in all sorts of aspects,” said Olson. “Looking at the particulars of the proposal, at this time, we’re not believing this is the right direction for our district. We’re in the process right now of drafting a response, one, to thank UMC for their generous proposal, and two, the reason why.”
Olson told the committee the district’s lawyers did conclude the district could put money into upgrading the facilities on university property but added that whether that was advisable was another issue. The facility would need major work to be used by the school district, beginning with the contract requiring the district to replace the track within four years, which Olson estimated at $400,000. However, Building and Grounds Director Rick Niemala thought that estimate was probably short of the eventual cost to replace the existing infrastructure completely. The track is currently in disrepair and has forced Crookston High School to host track meets in East Grand Forks in recent years.
The need for work on the playing surface for football was also brought up. Additionally, the committee identified sticking points with the contract, including needing the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities – U of M) to approve all signage and any repair of more than $5,000. School Board member Tim Dufault said he didn’t think it was a good fit as UMC no longer has football, nor do they have a track team and added, “It’s not like we can communicate with the people in the office in Crookston and get answers because what they say gets switched 30-days later at the U of M.”
School Board member Frank Fee said that fully replacing the track would likely cost as much or more to do on UMC’s campus as it would for the district to construct its own track. He said there was no way as a taxpayer he’d vote for a facility referendum for a facility the district would never own. School Board member Mike Theis said while he doesn’t necessarily want to have a referendum, having one for a district-owned facility made more sense than for a facility the district wouldn’t own.
Instead, the committee plans to form a committee to explore building a field with a meeting tentatively scheduled on March 10 at 5:00 p.m. in the high school media center. “That committee is still in the process of being formed,” said Olson. “So we are contacting several people to be involved in this committee.”
LIGHTING
Olson also shared with the committee some ideas for additional signage on the exterior of Crookston High School. “Two years, actually almost three years ago now, the school board was exploring the possibility of adding additional signage around Crookston High School to showcase it,” said Olson. “And put – Home of the Pirates – above the main entrance. We put that on hold as we were going through some district reductions and did not feel the timing was right. The district has gotten a little healthier and stronger financially. The board asked me to go back and explore that.”
The committee felt they’d like more information on the possible types of signage and quotes for each to be brought to the March School Board meeting for a vote.
BUDGET
Olson also provided a projected budget update, which shows the district is currently projected to finish more than $500,000 in the red this year. Statewide there have been lower enrollments with more students homeschooled due to COVID-19, and Crookston is no different. “We do not believe this will be a structural problem at this point,” said Olson. “The State of Minnesota has experienced an enrollment drop throughout the state based on COVID. Crookston is not immune to that, so we did see an enrollment drop we were not expecting. If those students come back, we are fiscally in a good, strong place. We are looking at a red budget to finish off this year.”
Olson said he anticipates the budget deficit won’t reach the marks projected Monday night because of additional cushion built into the forecast for the remaining months. “We are projecting a $577,000 red budget,” said Olson. “However, I do know as we get closer to the end of the school year, we’ve added some cushion to some of these months, so I do believe we will finish with a smaller number.”
