Sauk Rapids–Rice superintendent outlines $55 million in school projects ahead of Feb. 11 referendum

Superintendent Brad Bergstrom told the Benton County Board on Jan. 21 that Sauk Rapids–Rice Public Schools will ask voters on Feb. 11 to decide separately on two facility projects: a 60,000‑square‑foot early childhood center (estimated $37.2 million) and an outdoor activity complex with two artificial turf fields, a stadium and track (estimated $17.7 million). Bergstrom said the questions will be independent on the ballot.

The presentation traced the projects’ origins to a community-driven facilities process beginning in 2018 and a July 2024 survey that the district said produced 2,903 responses from 11,164 mailed surveys. Bergstrom said, “55.2% of those people said yes to an early childhood project,” and added the combined support for both projects was about 45.5% of respondents. He said the district paid about $20,000 for the survey.

Bergstrom described Hillside, the district’s current early childhood site, as a 1928 building that no longer meets program needs: classrooms split into nonstandard spaces, only six child‑sized toilets and frequent mechanical failures. “If something happens, our plan is we have a company come out … a portable unit … the cost is $3,000 a week,” he said, arguing a new facility is more cost‑effective and better suited to full‑day programming.

On the athletics side, Bergstrom said renovating the middle‑school site to meet ADA and parking requirements would cost about $20.4 million for a single turf field, while building new at the high‑school area — which would include two turf fields and a full stadium — is estimated at $17.7 million. “So it’s actually cheaper for us to build new than it is to renovate,” he said.

The superintendent described a December land exchange with the city of Sauk Rapids that secured roughly 10 acres near the high school in Mayhew Creek Park for the projects and showed renderings of a single‑story early childhood building, playground, parking and two fields. He said shared‑use features including accessible pathways, restrooms and sheltering space were part of the design brief.

Bergstrom presented tax‑impact estimates for a median Benton County home (district figure: $260,000): “The tax impact is $3 a year,” he said of the combined projects; he also said that when the current high‑school bond debt falls off (final payment Dec. 2025), a median home would pay about $223 a year if both projects pass, over a 25‑year term.

He outlined voting options — early in‑person, absentee by mail or in person, and election‑day voting — and listed five polling locations. Bergstrom said the district will continue community meetings, provide a tax‑calculator on its website, and host lunchtime FAQs and video materials to inform voters.

Commissioners pressed staff on childcare capacity and alternatives if one or both questions fail. Bergstrom said current early‑childhood enrollment is about 220 with room projected for 300 students in the new facility, and estimated that moving from half‑day to full‑day programming could more than double childcare slot availability. On fallback options for the outdoor complex, he said the district could return to the community with alternative plans, including smaller single‑field configurations or partnerships with the city for shared facilities.

The school’s materials and cost estimates are on the district website; Bergstrom encouraged residents to use the tax‑calculator to see individualized estimates by property value. The board did not take a vote on the referendum endorsement during its session; the presentation was informational.