The Wright City R-II School Board has approved the low bid for the district to build a new high school, football stadium, and baseball and softball fields. 

The board voted 6-0 last week to award the low base bid, with the addition of two “alternate bids” for the athletic fields, to Wright Construction. The base bid and two alternates totals just over $55 million. The board decided not to construct a new performance gymnasium at this time. 

With the $2 million bid for the East Elementary addition that was awarded last week, over $2 million estimated for a second phase of construction which will be completed in the future, contingency funds and architect and engineering fees, the total estimated cost for the projects is over $66.4 million. 

According to the current financial assessment, the district has over $63.7 million in available funding for the project. Of that amount, $43.9 million is from general obligation bond proceeds, $15 million in lease purchase certificates and $2.2 million in the district’s capital fund balance. In addition, the district has over $2.1 million in short-term investments available in January and expects an additional $500,000 as the year progresses.

The district also has the ability to get an additional $3.2 million in lease purchase certificates, which would give the district over $66.9 million in available funding for the project. 

In selecting which bid and alternate additions to approve, the board chose the option that was recommended by school district administration. 

“We struggled. We beat on it,” Wright City Superintendent Chris Berger said. “That’s the one we settled on. I don’t want to say it’s obvious, because we have wants. We have more wants than we have resources for, is what it comes down to.” 

Site work at the new high school location, located between Roelker Road and Highway F, is scheduled to begin in January and be wrapped up in October 2024. Students are expected to occupy the new school in January 2025.

Voters approved two no-tax increase bond measures in April to fund the project, which also includes the renovation of the old high school as an administrative building, renovation of the old administrative building as a second preschool location, and a four-room addition to East Elementary.

If the board had instead chosen to proceed with constructing the high school and a performance gymnasium, the cost would have been over $68.5 million. This would have required the district to move over $1.5 million from a reserve fund to the capital project fund over the next two years. 

Berger noted there are still opportunities for future no-tax-increase ballot measures to fund projects. The district projects it will have about $8 million available in fiscal year 2024 and $18 million available in fiscal year 2027. This assumes 4% growth in the district’s tax base the first two years, and 3% growth afterwards. 

Board President Austin Jones said he does not want community members thinking the district will automatically build a performance gymnasium with the available funds. He noted the district may need more elementary school space in the future, citing a large American Foods Group beef plant going online in 2024 or 2025.

“Just because you see these numbers up there, don’t assume that a future board will use that capacity to put a performance gym in or do phase two of the high school,” Jones said. “But rather, it could go to an elementary school or an upgrade to whatever. Just keep that in mind. I think that’s very important that gets said tonight.”