Margaretta sets March for new school's move-in date

CASTALIA — Forget hibernation: These Polar Bears will be busy this winter, migrating into their new habitat. But it will take a few more weeks than originally anticipated. District officials circled March 1 on their calendar as the move-in date for when students, teachers and staff members will begin reporting to the new preK-12 school building, a $67 million project that is years in the making. This is a few weeks later than when school staff hoped to enter into these new classrooms: in early January upon returning from the holiday break. The first grades of students were expected to walk the halls a few days into 2027, but officials cited construction delays from this past winter — a brutally cold, harsh one on record — as the reason behind the postponement. "Last winter presented 38 days that delayed progress," district superintendent Ed Kurt said. "Due to this, our completion date moved from the end of December to the first of March. We feel really good about our progress moving forward, as we are all under roof. We should meet the March 1 completion date." But March 1 isn't the move-in day for everyone. Even though the construction will finish up, students will not fully occupy the building until March 29 when they return from spring break. Addressing concerns A delayed start to a new school opening comes with concerns from the district stakeholders, mainly staff's ability to uproot classrooms and parents' and students' ability to adjust to the new routine. But district leaders have considered each. There are multiple days in March for staff to be in the building while students are given time off. March 5, 18 and 19 will be used for training and moving into the building, Kurt said. "Teacher materials are the biggest items to move. Most of the furnishings will already be in place in the new building," Kurt said. On March 16-17, Kurt said the district will attend school in the new building for acclimation days. Additionally, to help with possible confusion, especially from the youngest students, there will be an open house and ribbon cutting in early March, and the youngest students will take a field trip to the building to get ready for the big move. As for preventing parent confusion, Kurt said the district will communicate bus and parent pick-up and drop-off logistics to parents at the start of the new year. Students will also be informed of moving procedures in advance. "Logistically, we are working to make this as seamless as possible," Kurt said. "Our bus pick-up order will look the same when we go to the new building. Our drop-off and pickup will operate similar to our procedures at our elementary school now." The construction end date is about halfway through the second semester. So why not wait until the beginning of a new school year — in this case, 2027-28? "We will have 48 days in the new school to attend classes in a climate-controlled, handicap accessible environment," Kurt said. "We will also be able to evaluate our operations in June to have a great start to the 2027-28 school year." Current buildings The project is a little more than 70% complete with: • All outside work finished • Inside work being conducted The project's expected completion time frame works out in such a way that Margaretta's spring sports schedule won't be affected. In other words, sports — like baseball, softball and track — will be conducted in their current venues. The district is, "Not really thinking about the completion as we continue to handle questions, make decisions and continue moving through the process while still completing what is necessary for the day-to-day operations," Kurt said. As for the buildings in use: • District administrative offices will move to the elementary school. The district also leased classrooms for North Point Educational Service Center and daycare and pre-K for Faith Church at the elementary school. The 10-year lease begins in summer 2027. • By spring 2028, everything from the middle and high school building will come down except for the Townsend Community School, Vo-Ag Building, the current fitness center and the stadium fieldhouse. The area will become additional parking for the stadium. Making sense of the dollars and cents This $67 million project — located at 205 W Lucas St., Castalia, next to the district's transportation department garage and Lions Park — is staying on budget. And, according to district treasurer Keegan Hall, officials are confident it will be completed within the budget. "At this point in the project, we should be clear of any large financial surprises," Hall said. This project has been a long time coming after years of setbacks and pauses. Here are the highlights of the building's history: • The district bought a plot of land in the 1960s with plans to build a school. • In 2022, the community was invited to a groundbreaking ceremony. • The NEXUS pipeline, a natural gas carrier, put a hold on the development. The district was using dollars from the pipeline to fund its project, but the Lorain County auditor, Craig Snodgrass, objected to the settlement amount. • Eventually, the state's Supreme Court ruled in favor of a state tax appeals board over Snodgrass, and dollars began to flow into this project. • The delay in construction means the total cost of the project is more expensive due to inflation. The price tag jumped from $49 million to $67 million. • District officials originally considered a bond issue in 2024 but later withdrew it from the ballot before it went to a vote. As it stands now, local taxpayers are not contributing any tax dollars to fund the project. • Instead, the NEXUS taxes are paying for the building. The Ohio School Facilities Commission reimburses the district 38% of the project's qualifying costs. These costs will be about $62 million, so the district will receive about $23.5 million toward the project, according to Hall.