On March 19, the Cheboygan Area School board signed an $18 million contract to update and repair all four school buildings.
The renovations will be done by SiteLogIQ, a construction and management businesses, and will take between eight to ten years.
Spencer Byrd, superintendent of Cheboygan Area Schools, said the total cost of the repairs was actually much higher.
The district had to pare down some repairs due to budget constraints, but Byrd said he wanted to make sure any urgent repairs were taken care of first.
"What we've done the last couple of days have decreased that scope from $28 million to about $18 million," said Byrd. "So, we've cut about 10 million that we believe that we can push off into the future, probably another 8 to 10 years down the road."
Byrd also said the district plans on putting money in reserves in case of any construction emergencies.
SiteLogIQ held a town meeting with the community, asking for their input into consideration when deciding what matters needed to be addressed first.
The school's legal team and the construction company will be asking the state to endorse the project this coming April.
Byrd said once they secure the state's endorsement, he plans on sharing more details about what is being updated and repaired with the community.
Voters will decide the fate of the project this coming May.
