Preliminary construction on the new elementary school building in Genoa has begun and the school board has authorized the administration to proceed with seeking bids for the next phase of the project.

“We’re getting down to the finite details of construction,” Bill Nye, district treasurer said Thursday.

The board Tuesday heard reports from a representative of Buehrer Group Architecture & Engineering, the project architect, and the construction manager for the Ohio School Facilities Commission.

Nye said the board gave its approval to seeking bid packages for plumbing, heating and air conditioning, electrical, food service, and fire protection systems.

Opening of those bids is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 23 at 1 p.m.

Voters last year approved a bond issue to help fund the local share of construction costs for the new school. The district is paying about $5.23 million for the project, which will also receive $13.7 million from the Ohio School Facilities Commission and a $6.2 million credit the district has with the OSFC.

The district plans to construct the new elementary building at the high school/middle school campus and to close Brunner and Allen schools – a move the administration projects will significantly reduce operating costs.

Nye said the board is contracting with Miller Brothers Construction, Archbold, O., for work that is underway on the layout of the building site, placement of utility lines, a driveway, and a geothermal pond.

Loan nearly repaid
A limited liability corporation affiliated with the Genoa Athletic Boosters is projecting paying off a $303,000 loan sometime in 2010 – a few years early, Nye said.

The group assumed the loan to fund renovations at the high school football stadium.

“They’re hoping to pay off the loan next year,” Nye said. “That would be two or three years early and that let’s them look for other projects.”

The boosters utilize private fund raising to pay for their projects, he added.

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