The Grand Forks School Board has approved a base construction bid of $26.23 million for the Career Impact Academy, which would offer career programming to high school and adult learners.
At Monday’s meeting, the board heard about optional designs that would add several million dollars to the cost, including a larger space for welding, and a bigger commons area, but decided not to pursue them, for now.
Superintendent Terry Brenner said the district has enough financial concerns.
“If all of the ‘what-ifs’ don’t come through, and then we start leaning on that building fund, then we are back to where we were four years ago,” Brenner said. “So if we lose a boiler at one of our facilites, there’s $1 million that comes right out of our building fund.”
Board member Eric Lunn warned against overspending, saying: “Without doing any of the alternatives, we’re going to get an excellent, functional building that’s going to really enhance our CTE program. I would think then we look at how do we get other funding to do some of these alternatives.”
Initially, more than $10 million dollars was raised locally, with matching funds from the State Board for Career and Technical Education.
The Academy will be built near the intersection of U-S Highway 2 and I-29,
operated by Grand Forks Public Schools and governed by the local school board.
Construction is expected to begin later this year.