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Tecumseh Local School District will spend about $635,000 to build a new all-weather track at the high school that could be finished as early as this fall.
About $157,000 for the project would be paid for through funding from Pepsi that was earmarked for the project, school board members said. The remaining $477,000 would be paid for through the district’s permanent improvement funds, which can only be used for repairs to current buildings and other capital projects, according to board members.
The current track has been in place for decades and will be replaced with an all-weather track surface that can be used by both middle and high school students, as well as community members. School board members unanimously approved the project last week and said they wanted to move ahead quickly with the project so it can be finished by this fall if possible.
A resolution was drafted at a special school board meeting, and was unanimously approved.
“It seems like the time is right all the way around,” said Dan Studebaker, a board member.
Paying for the project now would leave enough money in the district’s capital improvement fund to pay for other projects, including a new high school roof, a new school bus and technology upgrades, said Debra Schock, district treasurer. The district is also expected to receive about $350,000 in that fund each of the next two years, which will replenish most of the funding, she said.
The Pepsi funding is the result contracts the district reached with that company, she said. The district had an agreement with Pepsi to sell its products exclusively between 2002 to 2007, in exchange for $20,000 per year. A more recent seven-year contract with Pepsi from 2008 to 2015 also added revenue to the district but was based on product sales, she said.
That funding is earmarked specifically for the track project, board members said.
Board members also mapped out how to discuss the topic with residents, including possibly creating a public relations committee to explain why it’s needed and how it would be paid for. The committee would use social media, newsletters and other options to sell the importance of the project, said interim superintendent Paula Crew.
Board members also discussed possibly selling engraved bricks to members of the public to help cover some project costs.
“To me, the most important thing is selling it to the public,” Studebaker said.
The district’s remaining athletic facilities are in good shape, but the track has been a long-term need for the district, said board member Peter Scarff.
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