Constant sitting water in the lower level, wet carpets, moldy ceiling tiles and more were some of the things Marshalltown residents saw during a Miller Middle School tour Wednesday evening. Following the tour, they attended an informational presentation of the school’s needs. It was the first of many meetings regarding the project and was led by Pete Perez, the construction manager with Boyd Jones Construction, and Brad Leeper and Brian Lane with Invision Architecture.

More than 50 attendees learned about options to improve the school, along with possible financing sources. There are four construction options for Miller:

Fix what is there. This option would focus on necessary repairs including the HVAC system and repairing safety and electrical issues. It would not address classroom size or overcrowding in the hallways. The tax rate project budget chart estimates a cost of around $40 million.

Reinventing Miller would renovate the existing facility through addressing classroom size and adding a classroom on the southwest end. It would add space to the east, which would include a larger commons area and kitchen, entry and leadership space. This option is estimated to cost $80 million.

Marshalltown Community School District Superintendent Theron Schutte greets attendees at an information meeting about the Miller Middle School project. Brad Leeper with Invision Architecture waits to lead the presentation, along with Brian Lane with Invision and Pete Perez with Boyd Jones Construction.

Reinventing Miller with “The Squeeze” would reduce the square footage of the first reinventing option. The auditorium would be repurposed and the band area relocated. The leadership area would be reduced by relocating it into the existing north and south wing of the 1925 building. This is estimated to cost roughly $75 million.

A fresh start would involve the construction of a new building, which would meet the needs of 21st century education. This is estimated at $100 million.

Leeper told the crowd gathered in the historic auditorium about the financial options. Currently, $14.8 million from the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) fund, which MCSD voters overwhelmingly voted to reauthorize in March, is available.

“That’s typically used for maintenance — boiler [issues], the roof needs to be replaced, maybe there is a bus that needs to be replaced,” he said.

The next option is $48.6 million from the sales tax revenue bond, which Leeper said is also known as a one-cent tax. This money is redistributed to the school districts by the state.

“That is being used to update other facilities in the district,” he said. “There’s money available there.”

There is also a $52 million ($2.70 levy) or a $78 million ($4.05 levy) general obligation bond, which is used when significant projects are needed, Leeper said. He asked Superintendent Theron Schutte when voters approved the last bond and was told that it was in 2005. Leeper stressed that general obligation bonds are different from the school district’s general fund, which cannot be used for such projects.

“It needs 60 percent [voter] approval,” Leeper said. “There are a couple options there. One is we can levy up to $2.70 per $1,000 of taxes to pay for construction. . . We can go up to a $4.05 tax rate per $1,000. I don’t think anyone here is suggesting that.”

He said if the district goes with the “fix what we have” option, SAVE funds can be used, but it will not address the problems.

Leeper said they have spoken with more than 100 people to find out what the priorities would be.

“It’s important for us to get the right information out,” he said.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.