Daviess County Public Schools (DCPS) is preparing to issue a bond for up to $22 million to fund a series of major infrastructure and energy efficiency projects. The district also approved accepting bids for renovating the new central office, a project with an estimated $12 million construction cost.
The DCPS Board of Education approved moving forward with the bond process during a special called meeting on Monday afternoon. DCPS is using the services of Baird Private Wealth Management, which will handle sending the bond out to bid. The goal is for the school board to review any bids during their December meeting.
The bond, expected to be finalized later this month, will cover various projects aimed at modernizing facilities and reducing energy costs. According to DCPS Director of Finance Sara Harley, the district has been planning these upgrades for some time, aligning them with its district facility plan.
Among the initiatives already completed or in progress are energy management improvements, including the installation of solar panels at Apollo High School and Tamarack Elementary School, and the conversion of lighting at Daviess County High School to LED. The district also has approved plans to install new geothermal wells at its central office and upgrade HVAC equipment at Southern Oaks Elementary School.
Other projects include roof replacements at Burns Elementary and Burns Middle schools, cafeteria expansion at Whitesville Elementary, and LED lighting upgrades for athletic fields at Daviess County High, Apollo High, and College View Middle schools. Additionally, upgrades are planned for the baseball fields at Burns Middle and the track at College View.
“There are six different projects that we’ve been saving (to consolidate for) one bond issue to save money,” Harley said.
Harley noted that the district anticipates securing a favorable interest rate of approximately 4.25% for the 20-year bond, with some components amortized over 15 years to match the lifespan of the equipment.
The bond will be used to fund just more than $20 million in planned work, with the $22 million cap providing flexibility for unforeseen costs.
During their meeting, the school board also approved the construction documents for the new central office building. In June 2023, DCPS purchased for just more than $5 million the 11.62-acre property that previously housed U.S. Bank at the corner of Frederica Street and Southtown Boulevard. The facility will be called the DCPS School Support Center, and it will consolidate district personnel currently spread across five locations including the current central office.
The school board previously approved design documents for the main building. Construction will include essentially gutting the inside of the building, transforming it from a cubicle-based workspace to one with dedicated offices and hallways. There will be no work done on the outside of the building, Harley said.
Harley said the latest projection for the overall construction costs was approximately $12 million. District and school facilities are constructed, purchased, and improved utilizing restricted and exclusive Building Fund dollars. These funds can not be used for operating purposes such as personnel, equipment, supplies, and materials.
DCPS is using Alliance Corporation as the construction management company for the project. Harley said the goal is to have construction bids back to review during the school board’s December meeting. If a bid is approved, Harley said the goal is for construction to begin immediately. Project managers said the construction could be completed in as little as a year.
