Consultants presenting to the Albert Lea Public School District task force said the district’s facility condition study estimates roughly $52 million in repair needs spread over the next decade and that the district averages about 209 square feet per student — above the Minnesota Department of Education guidance range of 125–155 square feet per student.

Speaker 4 summarized the MDE guideline and said, “In reality, we have 209 square feet per student.” The consultant team (Speaker 6) described their process: architects and engineers walked every building, compiled observations in a master database, prioritized items by life‑safety and end‑of‑life categories, and inflated construction and project costs to 2027 values for benchmarking.

Key numbers discussed in the meeting included an estimated district repair backlog of about $52,000,000 (Speaker 1), an example Halverson repairs total of roughly $3,800,000 versus a replacement estimate of about $40,000,000 (Speaker 6), and an annual Long‑Term Facility (LTF) maintenance allocation of approximately $1,300,000, with $900,000–$1,000,000 available after existing commitments (Speaker 3).

Why it matters: The repair backlog and replacement‑cost comparisons (the facility condition index) help the task force and board evaluate whether continued investment in specific buildings is cost‑effective or whether consolidation, repurposing or replacement should be considered. Presenters also noted abatement and specialized remediation costs were handled separately and were not fully included in the headline totals.

What the consultants will deliver: The consultant team said they will provide a building‑level breakdown with priorities, estimated construction and project costs (in 2027 dollars), and accessible summary graphics. Task force members asked for simpler percentage utilization figures per building for public display and asked the team to clarify replacement cost methodology (square‑foot basis plus project cost factor and required hardened/storm shelter areas).

Next steps: The task force will use the study as a planning input, assess financial scenarios including LTF resources, and ask administration to run cost/benefit tests on specific options developed in the group's small‑group work.