Plans to replace 22 windows at Gros Cap School are completed, and school board members are looking ahead to prepare for other repairs to the facility to make it more energy efficient. In January, the school board plans to place a millage renewal on the ballot to pay for future upkeep. The sinking fund renewal would go on the May 2 election ballot.

The 1.75 mills will generate $130,000 a year for the next three years.

Essentially, the school is operated on two budgets, said Superintendent Bill Peltier. One budget is based on non-homestead property taxes, which provide money for operational costs, such as teachers’ salaries and maintenance, but construction projects like window replacement and other physical upgrades must come from the Sinking Fund, which can’t be used for operational needs.

The Sinking Fund, Mr. Peltier said, is critical for the survival of the Gros Cap School because state reductions in funding make it impossible for the school to pay for construction projects with operational money.

Money from the current Sinking Fund is being used to replace the school’s leaky windows, making the building more heat efficient, which saves money that can be spent on education.

The new millage is needed to upgrade the school’s electrical system, remove an old, underground fuel-oil tank and replace it with a safer above-ground tank, plumbing, replace two old, inefficient furnaces, and to replace a water heater that blew only days before the board meeting.

Upgrading the school will cost between $200,000 and $300,000, making the three year millage renewal very important, Mr. Peltier said.

“The important aspect of this request,” he added, “is that this is a renewal. Nothing new is being asked for.”

School board president Janice O’Boyle expressed confidence that the millage would be passed, noting that Moran Township residents had always come through for Gros Cap.

As the school board weighs the costs of future structural improvements, the window replacement project is poised to begin, and the board approved recommendations for construction bids presented by Tim Kraft of the Saginaw-based Wolgast Corporation, the school’s construction management company.

Bids for masonry work, new glass, glazing, and painting, came in at $71,753, approximately $25,000 less than expected.

Boettcher Masonry, based in Bay City, will do the masonry work. Henry J. Ware, Inc. of Sault Ste. Marie, will handle the glass, glazing, and painting.

Mrs. O’Boyle credited the lower bids on the time of year, saying that contractors don’t have as much work in the winter. Having fewer projects drives down costs, Mr. Kraft added. Contractors find it prudent to bid low during this season to avoid losing their workers to other projects in other areas.

Boettcher Masonry plans to take only five days and will bring in a large crew, Mr. Kraft added.

Mr. Peltier said he is pleased with the decision to hire a construction management company to plan and oversee the project.

Gros Cap will soon have a new computer server up and running, paid for with a $6,900 grant from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. This is the third time Gros Cap has received money from the tribe.