Sauk Rapids-Rice Superintendent Presents Upcoming Referendum to City Council

(KNSI) – Sauk Rapids Rice Superintendent Brad Bergstrom delivered a presentation to the City Council Monday night on an upcoming referendum.

Next month, voters will be asked two questions.

The first is for a new facility to replace the Hillside Early Childhood Center. In December, Sauk Rapids and the district agreed to a land swap involving roughly ten acres of city-owned land in Mayhew Creek Park and about 17.5 acres of undeveloped school district property adjacent to the park. Pending voter approval, the district plans to build a new 60,000-square-foot early childhood education center on the ten acres.

The district is asking voters for nearly $37.2 million to replace the almost 100-year-old, 40,000 square foot Hillside building. It was first a high school, then a middle school, and then an elementary school and now it houses the community’s littlest learners.

The building isn’t compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and has major issues with its heating and HVAC systems. After the presentation, Bergstrom told KNSI News a new building is sorely needed. “Two years ago, we started providing childcare, along with providing the opportunity for kids to do preschool, and our enrollment almost doubled. And so, we are turning people away because we just don’t have enough room.”

Bergstrom says the cost to build new is $2 million more than renovating and expanding the century old structure.

The second question is seeking $17.7 million for an athletic complex at the high school.

In 2000, the voters in the district decided to build the current high school, which opened in 2003. Bergstrom explained that was meant to be phase one of the project. The second phase of building the high school is the outdoor activities project. The land sits at the middle school that was once the old high school.

He says a big reason they can build both projects with a minimal tax impact is that the debt for the high school will be paid off at the end of this year. Using those funds would mean the median price of a home in the district, which is around $260,000, would cost the owner an additional $3 a year. The questions are independent, so voters can decide to do one or the other or both.

The referendum will be held on February 11th. For more information on the proposed project, click here.

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