The Chelsea school board considers sound, site and a new contract

The Chelsea School District Board of Education is staying busy this summer.

The board approved some important decisions at its last meeting on July 25, while also looking ahead to more.

One decision at the July 25 meeting goes back to the proposed indoor athletic building, which is currently in the fundraising portion of the project. The planners went back to the school board to get permission to modify the site location, as it is proposed to go on school land.

The board approved allowing the site modification for the proposed athletic building to go from being behind Pierce Lake to now near the WSEC. This was done to solidify the plan as the effort now looks to fundraise with the community. Up to this point, the fundraising has been purely from partner donors.

Another big decision enabled new Chelsea superintendent Mike Kapolka to start his new tenure on Aug. 1. The school board unanimously approved a three-year contract with Kapolka. The district will pay the superintendent an annual base salary of $155,000.

And finally the school board looked at a recommendation for a proposal calling for sound system installations at the football/track, softball, baseball and soccer stadiums.

The district had set aside funding from the bond for this, but it was meant for the football stadium at $90,000. However, in his proposal, Brad Bush, CSD Athletic Director/Assistant Principal at Chelsea High School, informed administration and the board that sound was needed at all of the stadiums. 

He said upgrades will be good for spectators.

Bush was told if he could find a contractor bid that could cover all within the budgeted $90,000 then the district should be able to make it happen. 

Out of three bids, Bush was able to find one that covers all of them while coming in at $87,315.

The school board will have an official vote on this bid recommendation at its next meeting.