News Photo by Reagan Voetberg Pictured at the Alpena Public Schools Board of Education workshop meeting are Craig Carmoney, architect/engineer at Integrated Designs (IDI); RJ Naughton, bond financial advisor at PFM; Tony Nathaniel, senior project manager at Clark Construction Company; Phil Niemi, architect/engineer at IDI; and Craig Froggett, bond campaign manager at Clark Construction Company.

ALPENA — The Alpena Public Schools Board of Education is considering a $29 million bond proposal in May that could make additional improvements to local schools.

The plan is still in its infancy, but it would include no millage increase from the 2026 debt levy.

The potential bond proposal was discussed at a board workshop meeting Monday night in a presentation by a bond campaign team with Craig Froggett, bond campaign manager at Clark Construction Company; Tony Nathaniel, senior project manager at Clark; Craig Carmoney, architect/engineer at Integrated Designs (IDI); Phil Niemi, architect/engineer at IDI; and RJ Naughton, bond financial advisor at PFM.

APS will work with the bond campaign team to create a detailed list of what work is still needed in the district.

To make that list, a facilities study will be done at no cost to the district.

APS hired Kingscott to conduct a facility study in 2025 to prepare for the future of the district while facing the reality of a continued decline in enrollment. No major changes will take place for at least three years, Superintendent Dave Rabbideau has said in the past.

The latest potential plan laid out by Kingscott has looked at closing the APS administration building on Gordon Road and moving those functions to AHS.

The bond campaign team will need to collaborate with Kingscott to ensure that bond money will not be used on a building that could hypothetically close in the near future.

“Collaboration is our middle name,” Froggett said.

The new study will be different from the one done by Kingscott, in that it will be looking at the “nuts and bolts” of each facility where Kingscott’s study looked more at the usage of each building.

APS most recently passed a bond proposal in 2020, which gave them approximately $34 million to spend on numerous upgrades across the district’s facilities. Upgrades began in the summer of 2021. The main bond work was completed in summer 2025 with renovations at Alpena High School.

Leftover bond money is being used this summer for further facade upgrades at the high school as well as other projects like replacing the grease traps at Ella White and Lincoln Elementaries.

Niemi said that the district was a good steward of the 2020 bond funds.

The 2020 bond is expected to be fully paid off by 2047. The total to be paid on the bond is approximately $37.2 million including interest.

The 2027 bond proposal, if approved by voters, would be around $29 million with projected proceeds of approximately $28.7 million.

The existing debt millage is 1.8 mills, and it is expected to drop to 1 mill after the 2026 debt levy. If the board were to pursue a 2027 bond proposal and voters were to pass it, the debt levy would remain at 1.8 mills until 2037, according to a graph presented by Naughton at Monday’s board meeting. The debt from both bonds would be paid off by 2052.

At 1.8 mills, The owner of a house with a taxable value of $50,000 would owe $90 per year in taxes.

Board members questioned what projects the bond proposal would be used for.

The presenters included one slide in their presentation which listed some work the district might need according to a statewide school facilities study.

One of the items listed was an emergency generator. Board members AJ MacArthur and Monica Dziesinski thought that seemed unnecessary.

“You may or may not need an emergency generator,” Niemi said. “This was part of the criteria that was tasked to us… that was state mandated.”

Mary Lyon, associate superintendent for business and operations, said that there is still a lot of asbestos abatement work that needs to be done.

“Definitely there’s a need,” Superintendent Dave Rabbideau said. “Every day that passes our buildings get older.”

Niemi said moving forward he and the bond campaign team will be developing a more practical list of deficiencies.

Action is yet to be taken by the board to decide whether to pursue the bond proposal in next year.