Adams‑Friendship officials recommend creating DPI 'Fund 46' to build a capital‑improvement reserve

Administration asked the Adams‑Friendship Area School District board on June 10 to set up a DPI Fund 46 account and adopt a 10‑year capital improvement plan so the district can begin a five‑year restricted savings cycle for future capital projects.

Nikki, the district business manager who introduced the item, described Fund 46 as “essentially a savings account for capital improvements” that once established requires a five‑year waiting period before deposited funds are eligible for use. Nikki said the priority was procedural: “the important part is just being able to get that five‑year window started,” and she recommended the board place the plan on a special‑meeting agenda so the board could approve the fund before the July 1 deadline that starts the five‑year clock.

Facilities and maintenance staff said the 10‑year list of potential projects draws from PSI’s facility study and internal assessments. Sean Gek, the high‑school athletic director who participated in the facilities discussion, noted items such as lift‑station equipment, HVAC work and flooring projects among the types of capital needs the plan is intended to fund if the district sets money aside.

Administration outlined options for seeding the account — including using proceeds from timber/forestry work or leftover general‑fund balances — and said there is no statutory minimum to start the Fund 46 clock. The board did not vote on the Fund 46 proposal at the June 10 regular meeting; administration will bring an action item to a special meeting scheduled for the Wednesday workshop following the PSI presentation.

If the board approves creation of Fund 46, funds deposited in a calendar year would become available five years later; administration emphasized the measure is intended to encourage strategic, longer‑term budgeting for capital improvements rather than immediate spending.