On November 7, 2023, Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS) is asking voters for money to construct a new middle school. Grandville and Hudsonville recently opened brand new middle schools for the 2023-24 school year. So, let’s take a look at some comparisons.
According to the article, See Inside Grandville’s New $57 million Middle School Building, there is “200,000 square feet of teaching and open learning spaces, a state-of-the-art robotics competition center, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) facilities, and fitness spaces for community use.” GHAPS has allocated $66 million towards a new middle school. Grandville’s middle school is 200,000 square feet, versus 170,000 square feet planned for GHAPS. Both schools are intended for 7th and 8th grade students. Grandville’s middle school capacity is 1,000 students. Currently there are 850 students. The GHAPS middle school will accommodate 780 students. The enrollment will be approximately 700 students when the new school opens in 3-4 years. Grandville's school cost $285/sq ft. GHAPS will cost $388/sq ft. To give you a picture of just how big that 30,000 square foot difference is, a typical basketball court has 4,700 square feet of surface area. Therefore, Grandville got 6.4 basketball courts worth of educational space for $9 million less.
According to the article, Parents, Students Get First Look at New Hudsonville School Before Classes Start, the new Hudsonville Middle School contains a 9,100 square foot gymnasium, a science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) room, state-of-the-art technology, ample natural lighting, and open spaces for student collaboration. There are approximately 625 students currently attending Hudsonville Middle School, but the building can accommodate up to 725 students. Hudsonville’s middle school cost $36 million, compared to the $85 million budgeted for GHAPS, but the building is smaller; 112,000 square-feet, resulting in a cost of $321/sq ft, compared to $388/sq ft budgeted for GHAPS.
After the May 2023 bond proposal failed, GHAPS hired King Media to perform a community survey to discover what led to the bond proposal being voted down. The survey revealed that, among other things, the community wanted a better understanding of how bond funds would be spent. In response to the community, GHAPS provided the following information regarding the two November 2023 bond proposals.
GHAPS Bond Proposal #1
GHAPS Bond Proposal #2
In addition to a new middle school, GHAPS is asking for money for upgrades to the performing arts center, musical instruments, improved playgrounds, a natatorium dehumidification system, tennis courts, construction of a multi-purpose building, modification to school building entrances, technology investments, transportation upgrades, high school renovations, a new roof, new carpet, air handlers, and more.
This is a nice list, but there are no details provided. Why is everything so expensive?
$400,000 to $1,000,000 for each new elementary getting a new entrance
$500,000 per playground per school
$10,000,000 for technology
Are the prices inflated to pay for bond preparation? According to Scott Grimes, one reason Owen-Ames Kimball (OAK) was hired was because they were like a “full-service car wash.” In other words, OAK would help GHAPS through the entire process which included marketing to the community to get the bond proposal passed. So far, according to Scott Grimes, GHAPS has not yet paid them a penny. The GMB and OAK team also designed and built the Grandville Middle School.
One real question remains: what will GHAPS voters get for their $146 million dollars? When I remodeled my kitchen and agreed to pay a contractor, I knew what type of cabinets, countertops and flooring would be installed. I didn’t just give him a lump sum and say, “Build me something. I hope I like it.”