Genoa High School students will return next fall to a newly-remodeled science lab.

Genoa Board of Education members recently approved three contracts for the renovation that will take place this summer after the 2010-11 school year ends, according to treasurer Bill Nye.  Completion is set for Aug. 26.

Comte Construction Co. was approved as the general trades contractor for the job at a cost of $116,720, he said. The plumbing contract will be handled by Marine Building at a cost of $24,200.  Westfield Electric received the electrical contract with a $9,753 bid.

The renovation includes a new floor, new cabinets and desks as well as the addition of whiteboards and Smartboards.

The science labs haven’t been renovated since the high school, located on Genoa-Clay Center Road, was built in 1963, Superintendent Dennis Mock said.

“That’s a lot of wear and tear. And when you look at the chemicals that have been put down those drains over the years, it’s time for a change,” he explained.

The money for the project comes from the 28-year bond levy passed by voters in 2008. The bulk of the funds are going toward the building of the new Genoa Elementary School now under construction near the high school campus. But funding for renovation of the science lab, auditorium and gymnasium also were incorporated to the bond levy, Mock said.

Phase one of the auditorium project – new seating and floors – has been completed. ‘We are now entering phase two which is a new sound system,” the superintendent said.

What will happen with the gymnasium project may not be known for six to 12 months.

Nye estimates the western Ottawa County school district is in line for a nearly 20 percent drop in its budget by fiscal year 2012, losing everything from some tax revenues to grants. As a result, the Genoa school board has begun a series of cost-cutting measures.

School board members have decided to wait until the elementary school and other projects under way are finished to evaluate what is left of the bond money and to review any other potential savings, Mock said.

‘There will be no decisions on the gym until we see what money is remaining from the bond issue. Mock said. “It’s the only fiscally responsible thing to do.”

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