Athletic facilities racing ahead

A multimillion-dollar athletic facilities project got another step closer to reality Monday, when Cloquet school board members voted unanimously in favor of using the state government bid process for contracts and purchasing and hired Kraus-Anderson Construction to act as construction manager for the district.

What started in the spring as a group of community members wanting to raise $1 million dollars for turf has turned into a larger school project, estimated to cost $4.5 to $5 million.

The vote also fast-tracked the project. If things go well, construction could start as soon as May, with a goal of having the turf football and soccer field ready by fall seasons.

The plans include replacing the current grass football and soccer field with turf and widening the field for soccer, redoing and widening the aging track, relocating and doubling the tennis courts from four to eight, and moving the discus and shot put field to the current tennis courts.

The plan is to also reconfiguring seating in the stadium bleachers and adding a new scoreboard. A team clubhouse was left out of the project, but could be completed later by students. New lighting could be an add-on project, depending on funds.

Superintendent Michael Cary explained Monday’s vote was not a final commitment to the project. That will come when board members get more detailed project costs and design, a process Monday’s vote set in motion. Board members Ted Lammi and Melissa Juntunen were absent Monday, so the “yes” votes came from board members Dave Battaglia, Nate Sandman, Ken Scarbrough and Hawk Huard.

Choosing the state contracts was key, Cary said.

“I didn’t originally believe there would be an opportunity to do the project this summer, but after some conversation it sounds like if we go with the Sourcewell state process, we could [do that],” he told the board.

Cary recommended board members choose the Sourcewell process over soliciting individual project bids for two reasons: speed and inflation. According to a presentation by Duluth-based Kraus-Anderson, which compared Sourcewell and a more traditional open bid process, Sourcewell offers government and education agencies the ability to purchase items and services which were already bid and already state-approved.

The county is planning roadwork on 22nd Street — adjacent to the athletic fields — in the summer of 2024, so doing the work in 2023 would avoid any complications caused by the roadwork. He also cited the threat of increased costs due to inflation.

“Every year we wait, inflation creeps up and costs go up,” Cary said.

Longevity

The switch to turf will extend usability and functionality, Cary told the Pine Knot Tuesday.

“The shift to artificial turf opens the field for greatly expanded use for physical education at our middle and high school, as a field for practice, and allows for more competitions to be scheduled on the field,” he said. Many schools in the region have shifted to turf, in part, because of the weather. Turf fields generally allow sports to begin earlier in the spring and extend later in the fall.

Board member Hawk Huard had numerous questions, asking whether the turf would result in less staff time maintaining the fields (it should), if supplies are available (supply chains are improving) and whether the board should wait to vote until new board member Sarah Plante Buhs is seated in January.

No, said Cary and Kraus-Anderson project managers Greg Schendel and Patrick Gallagher to the last question, stressing that any delays could mean the project wouldn’t advance as quickly. Buhs will certainly be voting on other important decisions, including the one to commit the district to the renovations.

Going with the state process will allow the district to act more quickly to hire a design team and order items that could have long delivery times, the Kraus-Anderson reps said, versus engaging in a more complicated bid process.

“It’s about getting the materials sourced and making sure our name is on the list before anyone else,” Schendel said.

Paying up

Not included in the presentation was how the district will pay for the renovations. Cary shared a rough overview, including the following:

- $2 million in bonds to be paid back with capital facility funds from the state rather than local tax levies.

- $1 million in ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency pandemic relief) federal funds, if approved.

- $1.25 million to be raised by a community group that is working to find funding for the turf field.

“That’s a very rough estimate,” Cary said, explaining that they would know more after the next step in the process and before the board makes a final vote on the athletic facilities project.

When board member Dave Battaglia asked how difficult it would be to find a company that specializes in turf fields, Gallagher said they were already talking with Peterson Companies, out of Chisago City, Minnesota, which specializes in turf athletic fields and facilities.

“We have a little clout,” Gallagher added.

Kraus-Anderson worked with Peterson Companies on multiple new turf fields at the Rock Ridge school district over the past two years. According to the Peterson Companies website, they also installed the fields at Proctor and U.S. Bank Stadium.

Gallagher and Schendel also said going the Sourcewell route would allow more flexibility to hire local tradesmen and subcontractors, because they can consider other factors besides the lowest bid number.

Going with Sourcewell, however, limited the district’s choice of construction manager to Kraus-Anderson or The Jamar Company, of Duluth, in terms of local contractors, as Sourcewell works with only approved companies. Jamar would have been a more expensive choice, according to the Sourcewell figures. The district has largely worked with Kraus-Anderson since the company managed the new middle school project.

Additionally, the Sourcewell bids are done only once a year, with the most recent numbers released in April 2022, according to Chris Arenz, who works with the Gordian software company used by Sourcewell. So prices don’t go up or down in between those dates.

According to the presentation, they hope to hire a designer and complete design by January, along with conducting soil borings and surveying. The project will follow prevailing wage or project labor agreement guidelines, Schendel assured the board.