We are excited to be Building New Beginnings for the Beatrice community.
Video made by the BEAM students
NEW PREK-5 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
The School District is building a consolidated elementary school facility to replace the three existing elementary schools and preschool building.
Project Information
The Beatrice Public School Board of Education strives to provide exceptional educational services to all students. As part of this desire, the Board of Education has partnered with ESU 5, Pinnacle Bank, the City of Beatrice, BCDM Architects, Hausmann Construction, and many others to begin this first step in the construction of a new elementary school. The new school supports the overarching goal of the Board to provide safe, equitable, and efficient learning environments for students.
The new elementary is located on the northern half of an 80-acre site at the intersection of Lincoln and 33rd street. Several site access drives provide safe queuing, busing, and parent pickup locations for student drop-off and pickup. Other amenities include multiple playgrounds, parking, access to community paths/sidewalks, and plans for connections to future activity areas.
The design of the new elementary has been developed collaboratively with staff, administration, the Board of Education, and community input. Some of the features include:
Secure entry
2-stories for more efficient circulation and to minimize the exterior envelope
Centralized Innovation Center
FEMA shelter for all students
Flex classrooms to accommodate growth or additional programs
Music/Band programs
Space for all Preschool – 5th-grade students
The ability for educational and public use of gymnasium
Youth-themed spaces showcasing the richness of Nebraska and Beatrice
Integrated special education programs
Site Area: Approximately 29 Acres / Building Area: 143,000 SF
10 Preschool Classrooms
36 Grade Level Classrooms (6-Section Kindergarten through 5th Grade)
Art Classroom
Band and Music Classrooms
Full-Size Gymnasium for basketball and volleyball with (2) side courts and bleacher capacity for 500
In addition to the facility, the structure incorporates many design elements that help the building be more cost-effective. These features will reduce initial and long-term operational costs throughout the district, streamline transportation, lower life cycle costs by utilizing a geothermal HVAC system, and provide better access to educational resources and staff for all students. These efficiencies will be invaluable in providing students with a sustainable and improved educational environment!
Financial
The Southeast Nebraska Education Agency (SNEA), which is an interlocal agency comprised of Beatrice Public Schools and ESU 5, has secured financing from Pinnacle Bank in the amount of $35,000,000 for the construction of a new PK-5 elementary school on behalf of the Gage County School District 15 (Beatrice Public Schools). The relationship is set up as an interlocal agreement to allow the school to build and finance the elementary school. The cooperation between the ESU and the District is necessary for the interlocal agreement, to suffice the need of a 3rd party arrangement under interlocal agreement statute. This is different from your more common lease purchase agreement in that it allows District 15 to have a 40-year amortization to pay off the loan. The obligations of the Agency will be supported by leasing the facility back to the Beatrice School District. Proceeds of the funds will be used by the School District as a consolidated elementary school facility to replace the preschool and three existing elementary schools. The project will be owned by the SNEA in perpetuity and leased to the District under the lease agreement between the Agency and the School, or sometime in the future when the Agency disperses and sells the building back to the school district. The estimated lease payments during the financing period will be about $850,000, paid semi-annually from the district’s building fund.
GMP Amount: $40,562,409
bpsbuildingbeginnings.com 