A staff member for the Sparta Area School District told the board Sept. 8 that the district remains in the construction design phase for the facility project and will hold a public workshop on Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. to present work and gather community feedback. "We're still in the construction design phase," the presenter said, and district staff meet weekly with architects and project teams.

Why it matters: The facility project is tied to a voter-approved referendum and will involve capital construction funded from debt proceeds. Staff said they want broad public input before finalizing design decisions.

Details: The district plans a 45-minute workshop immediately before the annual meeting on Oct. 21 and will publish a new one-page summary for families by the end of the week. Staff asked the community to review an updating project page on the district website and said they are prioritizing needs within the available referendum budget.

Board action and timeline: No formal board action was taken; staff requested attendance at the Oct. 21 workshop and stated they will continue weekly design meetings. Construction-related expenditures will come from capital-proceeds fund 49 when borrowing occurs.

Ending: Staff said they will take stakeholder input and refine plans as the project moves into later design and construction steps.