Click on the audio at the bottom of the page to access audio comments from Supt. of Schools Dan Hoesing.
After nearly two years of planning, and hosting public information and input meetings, the Alliance School Board will determine Thursday night whether or not to proceed with building a 6.4 million dollar performing arts center and new servery at the high school. The proposed addition would be built north of the high school gymnasium, where a parking lot is new utilized.
The meeting will be held in the Alliance High School Library beginning at 7 o'clock, and time will be allotted for a public question and answer session.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dan Hoesing says board members and the architect, Kevin Schluckebier, of Beringer, Ciacio, Dennell, Marbrey architecture firm of Omaha, will offer updates on the proposed building, and Dr. Hoesing will provide an update on financing the project.
Hoesing says the project's construction manager, Sampson Construction of Lincoln, will provide an update on the building process.
In late June, the school board selected Sampson Construction was selected as the construction manager and Hoesing says the company has been working on offering a guaranteed maximum price.
There has been one minor surprise that arose during the project's planning stages. Hoesing says in conducting soil sample prep work for the project, it was discovered that the dirt where the performing arts center would be located is too dry and would not properly support a foundation, so the dirt needs to be dug out and replaced, which will cost an estimated $160,000.
Hoesing says while the additional $160,000 is disappointing, the repacking of the existing soil is critical to the building's foundation.
Hoesing says the building of the facility will not affect patron's taxes next year. He says the board is scheduled to pass the district's 2010-2011 school year budge within the next two months, and the tax request for the coming year is the same as this year.
