Dearest reader,
Lady B is back with Part 3 of DeWitt Public Schools' $157 million bond request.
Parts 1 and 2 followed the debt, millage and projected State borrowing.
Now let's follow the projects.
And Lady B started with one that readers have specifically asked about:
📌 How much is the new fieldhouse projected to cost?
DeWitt's public-facing financial breakdown places projects into five broad categories:
42% — Aged Buildings & Assets
38% — Shared/Multi-Use
7% — Technology & Safety
7% — Direct Extracurriculars
6% — Direct Athletics
But Lady B went one layer deeper.
The 51-page Form 3881 submitted to the Michigan Department of Treasury contains much more detailed project information.
And there sits the fieldhouse.
📌 NEW MULTI-PURPOSE FIELDHOUSE
The 3881 shows a planned:
110,000 square feet
And it separates construction into two phases.
First phase:
15,000 square feet
Current estimate — $1.35 million
After construction-year escalation — approximately $1.61 million
Second phase:
95,000 square feet
Current estimate — $11.59 million
After construction-year escalation — approximately $17.28 million
Combined:
📌 Current construction estimate:
approximately $12.94 MILLION
📌 After construction-year escalation:
approximately $18.89 MILLION
Why the difference?
Because the 3881 accounts for when the construction is expected to occur. The later phase costs are escalated to the anticipated construction year.
So Lady B is NOT calling $18.89 million the current cost of the fieldhouse.
The documents show approximately $12.94 million as the current construction estimate and approximately $18.89 million after construction-year escalation.
And there is another important detail:
That is not the entire High School project.
The 3881 separately includes an auxiliary gym, storage addition, remodeling, site work, technology and other High School improvements.
In other words, Lady B did not add every High School or athletic project together and call it "the fieldhouse."
These are the fieldhouse construction figures shown in the district's own Treasury application.
And this is why Lady B keeps digging past the summaries.
A voter looking at five broad percentages gets one picture.
A voter opening the 51-page application submitted to the State gets considerably more detail.
No, Lady B will not turn Facebook into a CVS receipt and list every roof, floor, parking lot and electrical project. 😂
But the major projects?
Those receipts are worth opening.
More from DeWitt's $157 million proposal will follow.
With receipts and respect. 🪶
DeWitt Public Schools
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