Monday, February 3, 2014
BENTONVILLE — The School District has identified a building that would meet its storage needs for years to come, something the School Board will consider as it weighs budget priorities this year.
The district has needed new warehouse space since 2006, officials said. A plain white building of 12,000 square feet at the southeast corner of Main Street and Southeast 10th Street is the only storage space the district owns and it’s full. The district has used that facility for more than 25 years, said Sterling Ming, finance director.
Officials have declined to reveal many details about the new building they have identified, but it would be large enough not only to be used as a warehouse but also to contain the district’s maintenance department, print shop and mail distribution center.
Lisa Clark, a School Board member, recently toured both the current warehouse and the facility the district is considering purchasing.
“I was able to get a good look at those facilities, and there’s a huge difference between the two,” Clark said. “The current one is beyond full.”
Officials have discussed a lease-purchase agreement on the property.
The district has spent years looking for the right property to use as a warehouse, but finding one in the city that meets the district’s needs has been challenging.
Money to build a new warehouse originally was part of a millage request proposed to voters in June 2012, but was removed to lower the cost. Voters rejected that 6.7-mill request, made primarily for a second high school.
School Board Meeting
The Bentonville School Board’s next meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for a pre-agenda planning session. It will be at the School District’s Administration Building at 500 Tiger Blvd. in Bentonville.
The agenda does not include discussion of the warehouse facility. Among the agenda items are reports on the district’s conversion charter school, the second high school design, the junior high course description guide, utilization of 2010 bond reserves, the 2014-15 school year calendar and proposed budget reductions.
Source: Staff Report
The district spends about $10,000 per year to rent space in Springdale for frozen food, Ming said. Then there’s the additional cost of driving to that facility multiple times per week to pick up and deliver food back to Bentonville. The truck that’s used is not refrigerated.
“We do not have a good situation,” Ming said, during a board meeting last month.
Moving the maintenance department, print shop and mail distribution center to the new facility would free up space for other purposes where those departments are now located.
The print shop, for example, is housed at the high school in the south library area, said Chad Scott, high school principal. If the print shop were removed, the space could be used as a small classroom for a specialized purpose, he said.
The maintenance department shares a facility with the district’s transportation center off Northwest Elm Tree Road. If maintenance moved it would allow more space at the transportation center for buses. The district already has to park buses at several schools because it’s out of room at the transportation center. The number of buses will increase when the second high school opens in 2016, said Paul Wallace, facilities director.
Having adequate warehouse space could benefit the district in various ways, Wallace said.
The warehouse can serve as a central spot to keep desks and chairs, so that when they are needed, officials know exactly where to find them, Wallace said.
It also helps the district to be able to store items for maintenance purposes. Items can be purchased in bulk and saved until they’re needed; that makes it quicker and easier for the maintenance department to fill work orders, he said.
Assuming a new facility eventually is secured, the district would like to sell the property where its warehouse sits. Ming said he could not guess what that property is worth. As development continues in the downtown area, however, the property is likely to increase in value.
“Our intent is to sell it, but we want to sell it strategically,” Ming said.
It’s unclear exactly when the School Board will make a decision on the new warehouse facility. The board is considering budget cuts proposed by a committee of teachers and administrators that total $2.4 million.
Warehouse space is a priority, but the district has other needs too, Clark said.
“Once we get a better look at the budget, we’ll look at what the administration designates as priorities,” she said. “We will rely on the guidance of our superintendent and leaders of the district to help us understand where those priorities fall.”