STAYING INFORMED

Since 2016, the District Administration and Board have been actively engaged in comprehensive facilities improvement planning to address numerous infrastructure and educational needs that have arisen since the District's last successful building referendum in 2005. In October, 2023, the District hired Nexus Solutions, a K12 facility planning and implementation firm, to develop a current technical and financial plan with the input of staff, students, and community members.

The needs identified at both Grant Elementary and the High School can be categorized into 3 areas: Safety and Security, Infrastructure, and Education Spaces. The most significant Safety and Security issue at both schools is the lack of secure entry structures to help prevent the entry of unwanted visitors.

Prioritized needs at Grant Elementary include:

• Secure entry and main office addition

• Kitchen expansion, remodel and new kitchen equipment

• Building storage addition

• Library classroom remodel

• Additional air conditioning and mechanical equipment upgrades

• Electrical service upgrades; replacing current lighting with LED lighting

• Upgrades to pick up/drop off area

• Roofing replacement

• Locker replacement & ADA sink compliance

Prioritized needs at the High School include:

• Secure entry and main office addition

• Expansion of the Commons

• Upgrades to boiler/chiller plants, air handling units, plumbing, and Tech Ed exhaust

• Upgrades to electrical service, generators, lighting and fire alarm

• Upgrades to windows and doors

• Roofing replacement

• Wrestling Room Addition (CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION)

• Pool Spectator/Bathroom Group Addition​

• Girl’s Locker Room Renovations

• Upgraded kitchen equipment

• Receiving addition & relocation of ACE academy space

• Tech Ed additions/renovations: Construction, Metal Tech and Engineering/ Electronics

• Agriculture renovations/additions

• Science room upgrades

• General & special education classroom remodeling

Grant Elementary and the High School were prioritized for improvements because they were identified as having the greatest overall safety/security concerns by comparison to the other school district buildings, and because the comprehensive facility study indicated these two buildings have the most significant needs in terms of building infrastructure. 

A new secure entry and main office will be constructed adjacent to the cafeteria/commons. The space where the current High School office is located will be remodeled to accommodate additional classroom space for students and staff, additional student services space for academic and career planning, and serve as a multi-use meeting space when school is not in session for activities such as after-school programming, staff development, and Board of Education meetings.

The prioritization of needs for the November 5th facility referendum was a collaborative effort between the Board of Education, the Facility Planning Committee, and District Administration with guidance from Nexus Solutions, based on valuable input from district staff, students, and the community. 

Input was received from 238 staff members, over 40 students, and nearly 850 District residents to create a focused plan. 

The District has demonstrated fiscal responsibility by paying off its debt from the 2005 referendum ahead of schedule. Marshfield has the lowest school tax rate among area districts. In fact, if the referendum passes, the School District of Marshfield would remain below the average of area districts for both the school tax rate and levy per student.

Grant Elementary:

$13,186,600 [Prioritized Safety and Security, Student Spaces, and Building Infrastructure] 

High School:

$54,978,000 [Prioritized Safety and Security, Student Spaces, Physical Education/Athletics and Building Infrastructure] 

Inflation allowance, applied to all projects, for anticipated bidding and construction beginning in 2025:

$3,410,400 

Total referendum budget:

$75,575,000 

Note: The above numbers are budgets and are not to be considered actual costs. These budgets include all project costs, e.g., engineering, management, permits, construction cost, etc. 

For a detailed referendum budget breakdown CLICK HERE

Prior to referendum, comprehensive budgets were developed to account for the funding needed for proposed projects. The proposed projects were defined based on a comprehensive analysis of our facilities and detailed conversations with our building leaders, staff, and students.  

Detailed design and engineering do not take place until after the referendum, and the final project cost will be determined by a competitive bidding process. However, there are reliable ways to establish comprehensive budgets for additional space, remodeled space, building infrastructure, furniture, fixtures, and equipment in advance of a referendum. 

In Marshfield’s case, we worked closely with Nexus Solutions to establish and refine comprehensive project budgets, including a contingency for future inflation, by utilizing bidding results from similar projects throughout the Midwest, historical cost data, and input from subconsultants, subcontractors and suppliers. As the project scopes were refined throughout the planning process - based on additional input from staff, students, the community, and the Board of Education - the comprehensive project budgets were also refined.  

Finally, the Board of Education reviewed comprehensive project budgets before approving the total budget for the referendum.

Nexus Solutions will work with design teams and user groups comprised of district staff and users of specific spaces within Grant Elementary and the High School during a six-to-nine-month design process. From these designs, detailed plans and specifications will be produced and requests for bids will be issued to contractors to obtain the best possible pricing. If projects come in under budget, those funds are retained in the district’s project budget; they are not retained by Nexus Solutions.

In most cases, a District and Board of Education choose to utilize cost savings to address additional facility projects that have been identified as prioritized needs but were previously eliminated due to budget constraints. Districts may also utilize the cost savings to pay down the referendum debt.

Following approval of the November 2024 Referendum, the design team began work on the design. This will be followed by construction documents and bidding of all projects. It is anticipated that Grant Elementary construction projects would begin in late summer of 2025 with estimated completion by the start of the 2026-27 school year. The High School construction projects would begin in spring of 2026, with substantial completion by the 2028-29 school year.

Nexus Solutions was selected by the school board and administration after evaluating proposals from (18) firms and interviewing (4) of them. 

Nexus is a professional services firm that specializes exclusively in addressing the facility needs of K12 school districts, mainly in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Their team has planned and implemented more than 70 major K12 facility projects in just the past few years. Locally, Nexus has worked extensively with Stevens Point, Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, and DC Everest in the planning, development, design, and construction of dozens of school building improvements, funded via successful referendums.  All these projects were completed on time, on budget, and to the satisfaction of their students, staff, and community members. 

For more information, please visit: www.nexussolutions.com. 

In 2018-2020, Marshfield completed several athletic complex projects with a total investment of $12.3 million. Almost 2/3 (over $8 million) of the cost of the projects was funded by donations and in-kind contributions from our community:

Kenneth & Ardyce Heiting Community Stadium

A multi-sport stadium complex was built at Marshfield High School that includes a grandstand, ticket booths, video scoreboard, concession building, and wall of champions. The stadium opened for its first games in August 2019.

Baseball and Softball Fields

A new baseball field was built west of the High School and a new softball field was built across the street at Madison Elementary School. Both fields include a turf infield, natural grass outfield with irrigation, exterior fencing, press boxes, and concession stands.

Marshfield Middle School

The existing track and athletic fields were renovated and can now be used for middle school P.E. classes and extracurricular activities. The renovated Beell Stadium continues to be used for both high school and middle school athletic contests, while the middle school track and field is open to the public for walking and other recreational activities when not in use for school functions.

Marshfield has made significant efforts to both maintain and upgrade facilities without asking for funding via a referendum. Generally, these are smaller projects that can be addressed within the District's annual budget. With over 100 projects completed over the past few years, examples include:

• Playground equipment replacement

• Asbestos abatement

• Upgrades to doors, flooring, ceilings, windows, and lighting

• Locker replacement

• Casework and countertop replacement

• Boiler repair and replacement

• Plumbing and electrical repair and upgrades

• Roofing repairs

• Concrete and asphalt repairs

• Drainage improvements

• Fire alarm maintenance

• Signage upgrades

Currently, our District’s utility cost per square foot is approximately 24% below the Wisconsin average, and we believe we can continue to make improvements that will yield up to an estimated 15% in additional energy savings in utility costs in the long term (see below graphic). Regarding the prioritized referendum projects, we are estimating over $30,000 in additional annual energy savings due to upgrades to HVAC equipment, roofs, windows, and lighting. We also expect operational and maintenance savings due to reduced repair costs on items like HVAC equipment, roofing, plumbing,  and electrical because those items will either be new or upgraded by the referendum investment.

ENERGY SAVINGS