OSD Board Faces Tough Decisions on Funding Capital Projects

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

Rendering of the future Central Elementary by Eley Guild Hardy

Two years ago, Oxford residents voted to approve a $38 million bond to help fund several capital projects in the district that included a new elementary school, a fine arts building and a new baseball and softball complex.

However, with the Oxford School District Board of Trustees looking at being $7 million over budget, the board members will soon be faced with making some tough choices.

On Monday, Casey Rogers with Innovative Construction Management and Taylor Guild with Eley Guild Hardy Architects presented the updated construction costs for the district’s current and future projects.

The bond-funded projects include renovations to Oxford Intermediate School, a new Fine Arts building at Oxford High School, renovations at Bramlett Elementary; a baseball and softball complex. Total estimated construction costs for all of the projects is $42,612,772.

Superintendent Brian Harvey said the $42 million does not include funds for furniture and supplies and design fees, which could cost another $2.2 million.

“We are quickly coming to the point where we have enough information where we need to start thinking about secondary courses of action and where we need to go from here with the bond money and the projects that are funded by the bond,” said Superintendent Brian Harvey.

Guild said the rise in costs since the original estimates were done two years ago reflect increases in construction costs.

“The elementary school is the one that was most under-budgeted,” he said. “We originally budgeted for 76,000-square feet for the school but it’s now at 95,000-square feet. We budgeted then for about $185 per square foot for construction and that cost is now about $228 per square foot – that’s about 18 to 19 percent higher.”

The elementary school was originally budgeted at about $18 million two years ago. In September, the board approved increasing the budget to $21 million.

Renovations to Bramlett are estimated to cost about $1.4 million and the baseball/softball complex is estimated to be about $4.8 million; however, those two projects have not yet received bids for actual costs.

“We have $38 million in bond funds,” Harvey told the board. “We have to come to a decision. Do we fund the baseball complex out of the fund balance or do we look at some type of alternative funding, or do we cut it?

Harvey said no decision had to be made Monday night but that the topic will be brought up at the Board’s upcoming budget session at noon on Friday.

“I wanted the Board to make an informed decision when that decision has to be made,” he said.