Anchor Bay board gets bond update; high‑school reroof, solar option and multiple school renovations outlined

Anchor Bay School District Superintendent Tim Jankowski told the Board of Education on March 12 that the district is roughly 20% through the work funded by the 2023 bond and that about $138,000,000 remains available of the roughly $169,000,000 authorization.

The bond update matters because the projects cover several major facility needs across the district, including a full high‑school reroof, classroom enlargements at Middle School North, renovations at Lighthouse and Naldred elementaries, replacement play areas, and a district‑wide upgrade of clocks, phones and emergency notification systems.

Jankowski summarized the overall budget and schedule during the meeting: “On the right hand side, you can see out of the hundred and $69,000,000 bond, we still have a hundred and 38,000,000. So we are approximately 20% of the way there.” He told the board the program is on pace time‑wise and budget‑wise for the first two years of a 10‑year bond.

Work described in the presentation and discussion included:

- High school: a district‑led reroofing of roughly 500,000 square feet, with procurement for an enhanced warranty under discussion. The presentation said the district is seeking a longer warranty option to “set the stage for solar” and noted that adding longer‑life roof options increases upfront cost but can make future solar installation more feasible. Jankowski said there were alternates considered that would raise the warranty period and make future solar attachments easier; the presentation put a rough additional premium in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars to add warranty years and pre‑engineer for solar.

- Solar: the district is evaluating whether to add solar arrays on the high‑school roof. Staff said the district previously joined an electricity consortium that guaranteed a low rate for a share of power, and that, given that locked‑in rate, near‑term solar payback calculations were complex; staff said the district would continue studying solar to determine whether it provides near‑term savings or mainly long‑term hedging against energy inflation.

- Middle School North: classrooms will be enlarged from roughly 600 square feet to about 1,000 square feet in staged construction. An expanded playground was shown in renderings; the design includes a walking path, field space, basketball courts (potentially two pickleball courts), an outdoor classroom/covered seating area, a wiffle‑ball field, swings and other play features. Board members asked about fencing and drainage along the property line; staff acknowledged a nearby ditch/creek and said engineering has been consulted and gates will be included.

- Lighthouse Elementary: plans call for two wings to be rehabilitated, asbestos abatement where needed in the 1949 original building, updated lighting and flooring, and a small enclosed playground area intended for ECSC students.

- South campus/auto shop: once the onsite auto shop is relocated to the high school, the vacated space at South would be converted to a larger band room with two practice rooms, an ensemble room and instrument storage, plus a small engine repair area and district storage in the bay area.

- Elementaries (Ashley, Naldred and others): future summers are planned for additions to create distinct upper and lower elementary wings, centralized public areas and new libraries; staff showed renderings and described changes to circulation to bring main offices forward.

- Districtwide security and communications: staff described a planned integrated upgrade to clocks, phones, emergency alerts and public‑address systems. The new clocks will display time and messages and can be used to broadcast color/status indicators (code green/blue/red) and play audio messages through classroom and exterior speakers. The district hopes to start installations in current construction areas and complete as many buildings as possible before school starts, with an overall completion target of November.

Board members asked schedule and staging questions. Trustee Richards asked whether the high‑school reroof work would be staged to avoid conflicts with summer events; staff said contractors would be required to locate staging so as not to interfere with scheduled activities. Trustees also pressed for clarity on playground fencing and drainage at Middle School North; staff committed to follow up with engineering and to ensure gates and fencing address the adjacent ditch and condo property line concerns.

The bond update was presented as part of the district’s regular reporting; staff encouraged residents to submit questions via the project FAQ on the district website and reminded the public of a community forum held earlier in the bond schedule.

Looking ahead, Jankowski said several projects will return to the board for formal approvals — including exterior systems and any solar‑related alternates — and that staff will bring the clocks/phones/emergency alert procurement before the board likely in the coming month.