Nearly $4 million worth of improvements to Ely’s school athletic facilities are in the works, after action by school board members on Monday night.
At a special meeting, the board voted 4-0 with both Rochelle Sjoberg and Erin Moravitz absent to approve a bid submitted by Max Gray Construction for $6,547,000, with the understanding that about $2.6 million worth of work will be removed to keep the project within budget.
Construction will begin later this year and the bulk of the work is expected to be completed by late-fall, according to engineer Jason Chopp of Short, Elliot and Hendrickson.
“We are recommending that we accept this bid and that we begin work as soon as we can,” superintendent Anne Oelke told the board.
The school has $5.25 million to spend on the improvements, but set-asides for soft costs including payment to SEH as well as a 10 percent contingency leaves about $4 million to spend on construction.
As currently proposed, the district will spend $3,912,880 on a package recommended by school administrators and the district’s facilities committee.
The money will pay for improvements to all of the school’s athletic facilities, although reductions to the scope of the arena improvements, first pegged to take up about $2 million, and the football field were made to bring the project within budget.
Remaining in the package are various upgrades to the ice arena including both structural, accessibility and locker room heating system improvements, as well as
• Handicap accessibility including a ramp at the football stadium as well as upgrades for track team practices;
• Renovations to the baseball field including leveling and new sod for the playing surface, a paved pavilion and viewing deck on the first base side and new batting cages;
• A full overhaul of the softball field including a new playing surface, and scoreboard and bleacher replacement;
• Gymnasium upgrades including plaster repair and an acoustic ceiling;
• A new building between the baseball and softball facilities that would include restrooms and a joint concession stand.
Those components remain after the facilities committee removed numerous other items including:
• $1.1 million for the arena shell, downspouts and gutters;
•$450,000 for painting the football stadium grandstand;
• $330,000 for new seating and various football grandstand work, while keeping the handicap ramp;
• $291,897 for site work at the football field;
• $200,000 to eliminate storm sewer work around the arena;
• $159,000 for replacing aluminum railing on the baseball viewing deck with fencing;
• $48,000 related to the plaster project at the gymnasium.
Those reductions came since the Max Gray Construction bid came in well over engineer’s estimates, and beyond the project budget, which was secured through an allocation in 2024 by the Minnesota Legislature.
Oelke described the process over the last several weeks that included “SEH working with Max Gray to whittle this down,” and coming up with a plan “to remove these items to get down where we need to be,” involving the district’s facilities committee. “I think the team has done a good job of trying to hit every facility as best we could, based on the usage of the spaces and keeping structural and ADA accessible at the forefront of every project,” said Oelke.
Board member Tom Omerza said he wanted to make sure needed structural repairs take place in the arena and Chopp confirmed that remains part of the project.
“We are addressing the structural deficiencies in the building,” he said.
Also at issue were longsought improvements for the track team, including new areas for the various jumping and throwing events.
“The one (program) I’ve double checked with the most is track,” said Oelke. “I think I’ve heard them loud and clear is that they don’t want anything disrupted. They put an exceptional amount of money into the track last year.”
Omerza, who is an assistant basketball coach for the school, largely endorsed the distribution of funds for the project.
“I would spend as little as possible on the gym,” he said. “Based on the situation with the hockey arena, the lack of field in track and field, and the softball field is in major need, and the baseball does 10 times more to help the community than any other sport with their summer tournaments and bringing people to town and that sort of stuff.”
Given tight budget constraints, board members have indicated that there’s no wiggle room and that the project must stay within the $5.25 million budget.
Thanks to legislative action in 2024, the school has $5.25 million to spend to improve its athletic facilities and a district committee, with the help SEH had come up with an assortment of projects at the campus football, baseball and softball fields, ice arena and gymnasium.
In late-2024, SEH conducted an athletic facilities needs assessment that identified over $15 million in potential or recommended improvements to Ely school athletic facilities.
But at least for now, the district only has $5.25 million in available funds to address those proposals.
School officials said the work planned for this year will make a noticeable impact and they’re retaining the information related to components not included for a potential second phase.
“We definitely have a phase two list for the future,” said Oelke.
Officials also conceded that the decision on what to include and not include this time around may draw some criticism, but Omerza had strong words in defense, noting a nearly two-year process that led the board to Monday’s vote.
“Anybody on social media that is up in arms carries no weight for me,” said Omerza. “They’re not here, not contributing to solutions or how to fundraise more or whatever. It’s the committee and all the work SEH is doing.”
