Mitchell — Work will begin on the new Ag Power Diesel lab building at Mitchell Technical College this fall after the Mitchell School Board approved a bid for the $10 million project.

The move was unanimously approved at the board meeting on Monday, November 14th.

Mark Wilson, president of Mitchell Technical College, told the board of directors:

This project has been in progress for about 5 years. The school is constructing a new Ag Power Diesel Lab building to better meet the needs of related programs. The project was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but has moved forward by considering a tender as the latest step in bringing the project to life.

Funding for the project, which is expected to cost about $10 million, came from two sources. Half of it was a state donation, and the rest of his $5 million came in the form of a grant from the state of South Dakota.

Construction could begin as early as spring 2023 with board approval for a bid estimated at $9,756,969.97. The bids were won by a number of different contractors who submitted low bids for various aspects of the project. A full list of contractors is on the meeting agenda.

“We’re pretty excited about it. We believe the completion date will be December 15, 2023,” Wilson said. “It has been an intense process.

Despite rising construction costs and other obstacles, stakeholders sought to modify the design to meet cost requirements while maintaining the portion of the building necessary to benefit the programs involved. Initial construction estimates for the project were expensive, but constant revisions finally got the school to a suitable design.

“This was not without its problems. We had to go back to the drawing board many times. Tentative estimates were high,” Wilson said. “But we have more square feet than what we initially worked on. We cleaned up some areas and rebuilt some things so that when it was all done it would be a better design.” became.”

The building’s latest design, which was changed in the process from a partial two-story design to a full one-story design, boasts approximately 36,434 square feet and can be converted into lab space for students to work on their projects. It should be easier to access.

“In the end, we were able to secure more store space than we really needed, so we could open up a lab, give projects to more students, and work on engines.” You can,” Wilson said.

Wilson said the new building will allow for an expanded student population for programs associated with the building. About 100 students are likely to be directly affected by the new facility, Wilson said.

Board member Brittni Flood said the new building should be a boon to the school, its programs and students.

“It’s very exciting to have space not just for diesel, but for the AG program,” said Flood.

Mitchell Board of Education chairman Deb Olson said the work done by Mitchell Institute of Technology officials to ensure the new building meets student needs while also keeping an eye on costs is reported. He said he was

“It looks like it’s been in the works for a long time. Our patience has paid off,” Olson said.

The Board has approved the School Reopening Protocol for the second term of the 2022-23 school year.

A protocol unchanged from the first semester was approved by a unanimous vote by the Board of Directors. The federal government requires school boards to continually review school reopening protocols adopted by school districts. Graves said the federal government is requiring schools to implement his COVID-19 protocol at this time.

Graves also provided an update on the design and bidding process for the proposed new high school building.

According to Graves, the designers and construction managers of the proposed new high school project asked for an extension of several weeks to tighten the specifications of the new building to ensure the best possible price for the bidding process.

The bid was originally slated to be presented at a Monday evening meeting, but additional work has pushed that timeline, possibly to a board meeting in December.

“They decided that the concern was that the spec wasn’t as tight as they wanted, and[and]wanted a few more weeks. We’ll bring it to you at our December meeting. We’re just trying to get the price of ,” Graves said.

The Board has approved the following personnel changes:

• Mitchell High School’s para-educator Angela Herrick’s new confidential employment is $13.75, 7 hours a day, effective November 14th.
• New Certified Hire of Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach Mackenzie Mertens, $3,937, valid for the 2022-23 academic year.
• Cody Jenkins, para-educator at Mitchell High School, has changed his work day from 3.5 hours to 3 hours, effective for the 2022-23 school year.
• Deb Lunder in charge of feeding services at Longfellow Elementary Elementary School effective October 30th and administrative assistant Dawn Swenson resigning effective November 15th.
• Effective October 24, Mitchell High School School Lunch Service Amanda Klein has been transferred to Mitchell Middle School Para Educator.
• Commercial Driver’s License Instructor Matt Bilden’s hiring at Mitchell Technical College is $40,327.78 and is effective November 7th.

Also at the meeting, the Board:

• I heard a report from the Mitchell Chamber of Commerce.
• First reading approved revisions to Board Policy 1141, Community Use of Facilities.
• Approved revisions to the Mitchell School District’s Comprehensive Special Education Plan for the 2022-23 school year.
• Declared item surplus.
• I heard the officer’s report.
• We heard the superintendent’s report, which included a brief review of the district report card.

The Mitchell School Board’s next meeting is scheduled for December 12th at Mitchell High School.