The Kenai Peninsula Borough just got another $81,706 from assembly members to put toward its latest study of Soldotna-area schools. The amount will augment money voters approved through a school maintenance bond initiative in 2022.
John Hedges is the borough’s purchasing and contracting director. He told assembly members during a Tuesday Finance Committee meeting the extra money is needed because the scope of the borough’s study is wider than that of the bond.
“Those facilities weren’t part of that original bond package, so to be on the safe side, we’re going to spend other money – our local funds – in that process,” he said.
The $65.5 million bond package covers 10 projects at 13 schools in Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. After it passed, though, costs increased significantly – so much so the borough says the bond money is no longer enough to pay for the projects.
So, they’ve gone back to the drawing board on some projects, including the two most expensive. For $40 million, the bond was supposed to pay for the reconstruction of Soldotna Elementary School and the remodeling of Soldotna Prep School.
Last month, the borough assembly and school board awarded a nearly $400,000 contract to a firm to reevaluate the projects and see if there’s a way to do them with the existing bond money.
Part of that contract folds in Redoubt Elementary and Skyview Middle schools to those being studied. Neither school was included in the original bond. So, the borough’s using non-bond money to cover those parts of the contract.
Assembly Vice President Tyson Cox asked whether a similar request would be needed in the future, if the borough decides to move forward with a project that, like the study, goes beyond what was included in the bond.
“Are we putting funds into something that can’t happen with bond moneys anyways?” he asked.
Hedges said it will depend, and that the borough will consult with its bond lawyers as it makes decisions.
“Whether or not we do or don't do any renovation on those facilities is something that will be identified in that process,” he said. “And then there will need to be a discussion with the bond counsel to understand whether or not we can use bond funds or not.”
The contract approved at the beginning of last month gave the firm 120 days to finish final design and schematic work on the Soldotna schools study.
