OKEMOS, Mich. — The Okemos Public Schools 2022 bond construction project is now underway after a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday evening.
During the November 2022 election, voters in the district passed the $275 million bond with 8,623 yes votes.
“Major projects included with that bond were identified after we did our facilities assessment and a lot of listening sessions with our community members, our stakeholders," said Okemos Public Schools Superintendent John Hood. "We know we've stretched our facilities, some of them past their useful life, and the community recognized that and, in a very strong yes vote, to award us that bond money.”
Hood said the bond money will be spent over an eight-to-10-year span with three major projects: rebuilding Chippewa and Kinawa middle schools and Cornell Elementary.
The bond will also cover several smaller projects along the way including:
- Critical facility needs across the district
- Constructing secure vestibules in each school
- Additional school space at Hiawatha
- Performing arts space at Okemos High School
- Furniture replacement across the district and the senior center
- Student device replacement through 2028 and technology infrastructure upgrades
- Okemos High School kitchen and cafeteria expansion
- New tennis, baseball and softball complex and athletic equipment replacement
- Meridian Senior Center relocation
- Bus replacement
- Relocation of district administration, operations and technology departments
The groundbreaking ceremony also honored a donor who contributed funds to the bond after it was passed.
"Mike Williams, he's known in the community for being a philanthropist, and he's enhanced even our athletic projects by donating some significant funds to enhance the soccer portion of that scope and sequence of that project," Hood said.
Hood said it's exciting to see the projects get underway this summer after all the hard work from people across the community.
“This is really about that together that the community is known for," Hood said. "Through bond funds, through donors and through all of our stakeholders playing a role in the design getting out the vote and meeting weekly. So this work has been going on now for probably three years in preparation to this moment.”
Chippewa Middle School is projected to be complete in the fall of 2026.
Once the new middle school is complete, students from Cornell Elementary will move into the old Chippewa Middle School building while Cornell is rebuilt. That project is expected to be complete by 2028.
Kinawa Middle School is expected to be complete by 2030.
Hood said it was important to keep the timeline for construction as accurate as possible to avoid rising costs in the future.
“We really take it very seriously harboring those public dollars and being wise with how we spend them," Hood said. "So we can deliver on the promises that we gave our community in that in that in the bond vote.”
Hood said they couldn't have gotten to this project without community support.
"Our partners at The Veridus Group, TowerPinkster, The Christman Company have been remarkable, and it's been great to include the educational professionals and our administrators and our students and community input throughout this process," Hood said.
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