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Gil Haugan Construction is taking advantage of continued mild weather this week as they move precast concrete panels into place for Luverne School District’s performing arts center.
The project will complete the back stage wall and is one of the last major steps to fully enclose the building.
The addition will house the media center, kitchen and commons area as well as the 750-seat performing arts center.
A tentative timeline was released Nov. 24 at the district board meeting. Month and areas of completion are:
•February 2021, media center
•April 2021, kitchen
•May 2021, commons
•June 2021, performing arts center
“Right now we are going in the right direction,” said Superintendent Craig Oftedahl.
The $30 million project, started in March 2019, has been fraught with delays to remodel and add to the middle-high school building.
MSHSL support fees
At their Nov. 24 meeting, the board agreed to pay $7,000 in additional fees to the Minnesota State High School League. Revenues to league-sponsored events have suffered due to cancelations since the coronavirus pandemic started.
MSHSL officials presented additional bills to school districts to ease the budget deficit.
Superintendent Oftedahl said MSHSL officials assigned higher fees to outstate schools to lessen the deficit. Area schools within the Big South Conference that includes Luverne sent league officials a letter about the disparity, but the new formula was not supported by the league.
Instead the MSHSL Foundation, of which Oftedahl is a member, moved $500,000 to the league, lessening the burden to schools. For Luverne, the additional fee dropped from the original $11,200 bill down to $7,000, to be paid in two installments.
In other business Nov. 24, the Luverne School Board:
•supported a grant resolution to the Minnesota State High School League Foundation for scholarship funds. Local school officials will use the grant to pay for athletic and activity fees for income-eligible students.
•accepted the resignation from Michelle Curtis, special services administrative assistant, effective Dec. 18.
•hired Lisa Remme as middle-high school paraprofessional beginning Jan. 4.