Margaretta construction project resumes

CASTALIA — Margaretta Schools is one step closer to its long-awaited single campus plan. The district finished out the month of May with shovels in the ground as construction resumed on the future site of a pre-K-12 school campus building. "This marks an important step forward in our commitment to providing our students with modern and effective learning environments," superintendent Ed Kurt said in the district's spring newsletter. Building history In the late 1960s, Margaretta Schools bought a plot of land with plans for a new building that would someday be constructed. In 2022, the dream started to become a reality. Officials invited the community to join them for a groundbreaking ceremony for a new school. This would have been the first time in more than a decade that the district constructed a new building, the last being an addition to Margaretta Elementary School. But the NEXUS pipeline put a hold on the development. The NEXUS pipeline carries natural gas across 13 counties from Kensington, Ohio, into Michigan. It began serving customers located in Ohio, Michigan and Canada in 2018. Local districts that benefit from the taxes generated by the pipeline include Margaretta along with the school districts of Perkins and Edison. Margaretta Schools had been counting on the pipeline dollars to help fund the new school's construction, but the project and money were held up when Lorain County auditor Craig Snodgrass objected to the settlement amount. If Snodgrass had not appealed, the school would have been open and in use this past school year, 2024-25, according to previous construction timelines. Last year, the state's Supreme Court ruled in favor of a state tax appeals board over Snodgrass, so dollars began to flow as they did prior to the objection. Dollars and today The district hopes to complete construction by December 2026 with the help of its architects, Fanning & Howey, the construction managers, Mosser Construction, and owner representatives, Ted Kastor and Mike Mendenhall. Kurt said the district plans to move in at the semester break, mid-January. The paused construction not only delayed the new building's opening date, but it also means a more expensive overall cost due to inflation. The project once totaled nearly $49 million, but it's now escalated to about $67 million. Kurt said the current funding model has NEXUS taxes paying for the building. In the newsletter, he also said the district partnered with the Ohio School Facilities Commission, which is covering 38% of the project. "Despite these challenges, we are excited to address the facility issues in our buildings which were constructed in 1913 and 1922," Kurt said. "This new facility will not only enhance the learning experience for our students but also serve as a vital resource for our entire community." The community can stay up to date on the building project through the district's new facilities page on its website. It can be found by clicking the "New School" icon on the main district page. The page offers photos, a virtual video tour, a timeline and records of past building meetings and discussions.