Marcellus Schools Superintendent Nanette Pauley outstanding in. . . . her barnyard? Possibly. Pauley points to the proposed site for the barn that will soon complement the school’s CTE Agriscience program. Also pictured in the background is the barn the school has agreed to purchase from the Swartzes.
There’s going to be some new construction going up on Marcellus’ west side in the next few months thanks to funds awarded by the state to Heritage Southwest Intermediate School District (ISD).
MHS is getting a barn.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Superintendent Nanette Pauley says about the Marcellus Schools’ new barn project. “In a very brief time, we had to submit what we would want, so of course, we requested as much as we possibly could.”
Marcellus is receiving approximately $365 thousand dollars of the $1million awarded to the ISD for the four local schools within its district: Cassopolis, Dowagiac, Edwardsburg, and Marcellus.
The monies through the ISD are granted from the state school aid fund [The State School Aid Act 94 of 1979 Sec. 61c.], which requires that “At least 50% of the funding allocated to each eligible CEPD must be used to update equipment in current state-approved CTE [Career and Technical Education] programs that have been identified in the highest 5 career cluster rankings. . .”
“The state wants us to spend this money on occupations that are in need right now,” Pauley says, “and agriculture is one of those occupations. We had to suggest things such as equipment that we would want to bolster our CTE programs. Since we just started the Agriscience program, that was the one that qualified.”
Since receiving word of the grant funds, the school hired CARMI Design Group as the architects and purchased a truck for $42 thousand, which leaves around $315 thousand for the remaining parts of the project, which include a 40’ x 80’ pole barn, necessary electrical, septic, heating, and water; site preparation and a 6-pen livestock trailer.
One of the biggest questions the Facilities Committee (board members Joe Tone, Ed Amsus, Justin Ware) needed to answer, however, was “where do we build it?”
Pauley says the initial location that was considered is the area behind the Administration building, because electric, water and sewer are already available there; “but ultimately it was decided that maybe the best place is across the parking lot, which will potentially add some expenses but we, the Facilities Committee believe, that we will be able to come under the amount we were approved for.”
The “whirlwind” element of the project is the short period of time the school had to collect quotes and submit the application to the ISD. They had just two weeks and the money needs to be spent by September.
“It’s a mad dash, but we’re certainly thrilled. Knowing where it’s going to be located, I want something aesthetically pleasing. We’d like it to be a bit of a showcase. We want it to look good with gables and a patio out front so kids will want to be there.”
Part of the project includes relocating the Hen Hut and chicken coop, currently west of the high school, to the new “barn campus.”
Since you have a barn, will you require a barnyard?
In some fashion Pauley says, “I’m not having animals cooped up all the time. I’m not. They have to be able to go outside.
“So, yes there will be a run and hopefully an area to walk the animals. But we don’t intend on buying pigs and cows. What we think we might do, to begin with, is to create a place for demonstration. So, animals could be brought in and, perhaps, stay temporarily.”
The school has also made an agreement with the Swartzes’ to purchase their barn on the east side of Bradt Street. Pauley says there are no immediate plans for the building, except to do any necessary work to make it a safe structure.
“Maybe it will be a part of FFA. I really don’t know right now. Even if we just use it for storage for a while, it’s worth it.”
Welcome to Wildcat Acres anyone?
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