Dog track may save as much as it costs
From the point of view of the Board of Education, the news about the St. Croix Meadows dogtrack just keeps getting better. A report at the school board meeting Tuesday night said that by reusing parts of the existing building and utilities, the district could save between $4.8 to $7.5 million dollars on the construction cost of a school on the site.By: Meg Heaton, Hudson Star-Observer
From the point of view of the Board of Education, the news about the St. Croix Meadows dogtrack just keeps getting better.
A report at the school board meeting Tuesday night said that by reusing parts of the existing building and utilities, the district could save between $4.8 to $7.5 million dollars on the construction cost of a school on the site.
The report came from Angela Popenhagen of Stevens Engineering, Gary Zappa of Zappa Brothers Excavation and Sam Statz of Hoffman LLC, the architecture and construction management firm that designed and built River Crest Elementary.
All three agreed that the water mains, hydrants and sewer lines were in very good condition and would not likely require any upgrading. Popenhagen said the 20-year-old facility was “built to last” and had held up well despite being vacant for decade.
The savings includes the cost of demolition of the grandstand area of the main building as well as the kennel and other outbuildings. The cost of the demolition is estimated between $770,000 and $935,000. The report also said that as much as an additional $1 to $2 million could be available based on the value of recyclable materials from the site and because the savings estimates are conservative.
Board member Mark Kaisersatt called the report “fantastic,” noting that the potential savings in construction costs are close to the $8.25 million purchase price of the property.
The board rejected consideration of another property, 63 acres at the corner of Vine Street and Carmichael Road, adjacent to the St. Croix County Government Center. The county had asked the board to consider the property but did not quote a purchase price. The board, with the exception of board member Brian Bell, agreed that the acreage was below that necessary for a secondary school and that traffic congestion in the area from the presence of three schools and the government center did not meet the criteria set by the board.
Additional details of the report will appear in the Jan. 19 Star-Observer.
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