March, 2025 Bond Update

Mattawan, MI – March 10, 2025 – Today marks a historic milestone for Mattawan Consolidated Schools as the district broke ground on the first phase of a comprehensive, multi-year school construction project. This initiative follows the approval of a 110 million dollar school construction bond by voters in May 2024.

Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony kicks off a series of significant improvements, starting with the renovation of the district’s stadium. The first phase of the stadium project will include the installation of a new, state-of-the-art multi-sport turf field and track, enhancing athletic opportunities for students and the community. Subsequent phases will focus on upgrading bleachers, perimeter fencing, and the construction of new entryways and concessions.

In conjunction with Veridus Group, serving as the Owner’s Representative, Architect and Design group, TowerPinkser, and Construction Firm AVB, the groundbreaking is only the beginning of a transformative journey that will unfold over the next five years, impacting every corner of the district. In addition to the stadium renovation, the bond initiative will address key areas such as:

• Replacement of aging furniture at the middle and high schools for both students and staff,

• Renovations to older science areas in middle and high schools

• Enhancements to the high school auditorium

• Solutions to alleviate overcrowded cafeteria space at the middle school

• Renovations to bathrooms at the middle and high schools

• Construction of new transportation and maintenance facilities

• The creation of an expansive, approximately 60,000-square-foot multi-purpose field house designed for year-round use

• The addition of an aquatic center to enhance student wellness and community engagement

• The construction of a new turf soccer field

• A new 12-court tennis complex

• Upgraded practice fields and youth sports spaces

Ted Roethlisberger, Board of Education President, expressed his excitement about the future of the district, stating, “These projects are truly transformative, not just for our students, but for the entire Mattawan community. We are incredibly grateful to the voters for placing their trust in us. This bond initiative will have a lasting impact on the educational experience of every student and will create facilities that our community will be proud of for generations. The support we’ve received will forever change the trajectory of our schools and our community, and we are excited to begin this important work.”

“These projects are historic in nature and will forever change our district and community,” said Superintendent Randy Fleenor. “We are incredibly grateful to the voters who made this possible. Their support ensures that our students have access to modern, safe, and efficient learning environments that foster growth, achievement, and well-being.”

The bond initiative represents a commitment to the future of the district, ensuring that Mattawan Consolidated Schools can continue to provide exceptional educational experiences for generations to come.

Thank you to our community for making this exciting new chapter in our history possible!

The project has officially broken ground, with significant progress made, including installing silt fencing, decommissioning the scoreboard, removing the south goal post, and removing the skate park, which will be relocated elsewhere in the community-TBD.

Excavation of the field has begun alongside the removal of the track surface. In the coming week, the team plans to finalize the construction coordination schedule for subcontractors, continue field excavation, move the AYSO shed, and begin tree removal and demolition prep for the detention pond.

Recent progress on the project includes stripping topsoil from the field, completing a compensating cut at the skate park, beginning tree removal along the AYSO field tree line, and removing the track surface.

In the coming week, the team plans to conduct analytical testing for the shed demolition, complete soil removal from the football field, and have Driesinga test soils in the existing field and skate park.

Additional tasks include stripping topsoil from the skate park, demolishing a small shed, and starting demolition for the future detention pond.

Meanwhile, the team is addressing key issues such as scoreboard and structure planning, foundation drawings for the bleachers, and ongoing soil studies.

The stadium project is progressing ahead of schedule! This week, significant grading took place at the stadium site, along with property scraping just north of the ECEC, across the creek. The harvested fill from this area will serve as the foundation for the new turf. Additionally, week three saw clearing work along the southwestern property line, further preparing the site for the next phase of construction.

It is important to note that the stadium will be renovated in multiple phases. Phase two, scheduled to begin in the Summer of 2026 and will include renovations to the current press box and the addition of a new sound system.

Phase three will include the construction of a new entryway and concession on the south end of the current stadium, as well as cosmetic improvement the current entry way on the North side of the stadium.

The school's aging and unreliable soccer field lighting, which had long been a source of frustration due to poor visibility, has been replaced thanks to funding from the recent school construction bond. The outdated system, which struggled to provide consistent illumination, has been upgraded to state-of-the-art LED lighting, dramatically improving visibility, energy efficiency, and overall safety for athletes and spectators alike. This much-needed upgrade ensures that games and practices can now take place under bright, reliable lighting, enhancing the experience for players and fans while reducing maintenance costs for the school. No more looking for parts on eBay!

Planning for the replacement of student and teacher furniture in both the middle and high schools is well underway, funded by the school construction bond. To ensure the best selection, teams have visited multiple industry-leading furniture suppliers, touring showcase rooms to evaluate modern, functional options that will enhance the learning environment. Several debrief meetings have taken place to discuss findings and narrow down potential suppliers. The next step in the process will involve selected suppliers presenting their equipment for building staff and staff to pilot this fall and provide feedback on. Much of the existing furniture is over 25 years old, and the new selections will usher in updated, modern environments for both students and staff, fostering a more comfortable and engaging learning experience.

Exciting progress is underway as we move forward with the design of a new Transportation and Maintenance Building, set to begin construction this fall! Located just west of the current high school, this much-needed facility will replace outdated and undersized buildings that no longer meet modern safety standards.

Designed for efficiency, this 24,000-square-foot building will combine both departments, maximizing resources and making the best use of taxpayer dollars. It will include administrative offices, locker and shower facilities, and dedicated garage space for both transportation and maintenance teams. With four drive-through bays, our talented team of mechanics can now service buses more safely and efficiently, eliminating the need for backing in or out.

This new facility will also provide additional dry storage with a dock, streamlining district-wide deliveries and distribution. This investment ensures our district operates more effectively while supporting the vital work of our transportation and maintenance staff.

The work captured in this bond is broken down into bid packages. For example, the work described above is in Bid Package 1A - the very first bid package. Upcoming bid packages are outlined below with tentative timelines.

Please note: The bid packages listed below are currently in various stages of design. Additional bid packages, including those for field turf, the middle school cafeteria, technology, the natatorium, and others, have not yet entered the design phase but will be developed and updated in the future.

Bid Package 1A - Stadium Inner Scope

• Replace field with turf
• Replace track & field
• Replace inner perimeter fencing
• Fall 2024 - project design
• Winter 2024 - projects bidding
• Spring 2025 - project construction

Bid Package 1B - Campus Traffic Flow & Parking

• High School and Middle School parent carpool loop reworked
  
• Separation of buses from carpool/community traffic
• Expanded parking in front of middle and high school
• Stadium press box renovations
• Spring 2026 - projects bidding
• Summer of 2026 - project construction

Bid Package 1C - Baseball & Softball Field Upgrades

• Update irrigation system
• Updated perimeter fencing
• Spring 2025 - project bidding
• Summer 2025 - construction

Bid Package 1D - Middle/High School Fire Alarm System Replacement

• Winter 2025 - project bidding
• Summer 2025 - construction

Bid Package 2A - New Construction Transportation & Maintenance Facility

• Winter 2025 - Design Development
• Summer 2025 - project bidding
• Fall 2025 - Fall of 2026 - construction

Our focus revolves around five key objectives for the bond:

1. Preserve existing assets
2. Prioritize safety and security
3. Provide future-focused academic and extracurricular experiences for our students
4. Enhance infrastructure
5. Demonstrate fiscal responsibility

Safety & Security:

• Addressing traffic congestion, lack of parking spaces, and separation of traffic and busing through enhancements
• Replacement of outdated, unreliable security equipment at each building

Transportation:

• Continued replacement of an aging bus fleet

Academic Learning Spaces + Experience:

• Replacement of original, aged classroom equipment and furniture at middle and high schools
• Updates to original, outdated science areas at middle and high schools (excluding the newly renovated portions) to ensure students have state of the art experiences.

Fine Arts:

• Upgrades to lighting and media equipment at the high school auditorium

Infrastructure:

• Replacement of original, outdated lockers, bathrooms, various ceilings, and lighting at middle and high schools
• Renovations to high school weight room including expansion to address overcrowding and scheduling issues for student-athletes and physical education courses
• Upgrade of aged building controls at middle and high schools (water, fire, HVAC, etc.) to provide the most efficient and safe environmental controls
• Addition of cooling to main gymnasiums at the high school

Student Athletic Experience:

• Renovation of aged high school locker rooms
• Renovation of the high school stadium, including artificial turf, new entryways, expanded concessions
• New high school track - the current track is backwards and nearly unusable in the current condition
• Upgrades to baseball and softball fields
• Construction of a new multi-use turf field (soccer, lacrosse, football)
• Maintenance of existing practice fields; addition of a new outdoor practice space

Other Construction:

• Addressing overcrowding in the current Middle School cafeteria
• Replacement of aged, quickly deteriorating tennis courts
  
• Replacement of aged transportation building and maintenance building
• Construction of a fieldhouse facility for indoor practice teams/band to address lack of 12-month practice space; available for community use
• Construction of a student/community pool

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