Forest funds push KSD stormwater project across the finish line

KELLOGG –– Last week, the Kellogg School Board approved additional funds for their “Stormwater Goes to School” project. 

With just under two weeks until the new school year starts, KSD is scrambling to get the major project wrapped up before students arrive, but several unforeseen issues have slowed the project.  

According to the District, the project included re-grading the parking lots at the middle school, administrative annex, and district office, improving access roads, removing parking islands, adding bioswales, and paving within the 24-acre campus.  

When the district initially put the project out for bid in 2023, they reportedly didn’t receive any bids within the $745,000 price range they had at their disposal. This forced them to reassess the design of their plans and hunt for bids once again.  

Big Sky Development out of Hayden secured the job earlier this year and began work almost immediately after school let out.  

As the project progressed, work crews reportedly discovered several places where the ground beneath the former roads and parking areas was foundationally unstable, or contained different materials including errant sewer lines, logs, tree stumps, glass, and other debris that had to be removed and then refilled with proper material before it could be packed down and paved.  

This delayed work and forced the project to be redesigned in a few areas to ensure that costs could still be kept within their budget. However, Alta Science and Engineers, the firm that has handled the design and overseen the project, requested additional funds to cover the costs of those redesigns and additional project oversight in the amount of $50,000.  

Along with that $50,000, the board also approved up to $80,000 to be available to complete the project. According to the district, because of the extra work needed to stabilize the ground, funds were depleted quicker than anticipated, and parts of the project wouldn’t get completed without additional funding.  

The $130,000 will be taken from the district’s annual Secure Rural Schools allotment, commonly referred to as “forest funds.” These funds come from the Federal Government as payments for lost tax revenue from timber sales, mineral rights, recreation, and other activities in states with national forests and grasslands.  

The funding for KSD’s Stormwater Goes to School project came from multiple sources, including grants from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality through the ARPA Waste program, and the city of Kellogg through the Coeur d’Alene Lake Advisory.  

The improvements are intended to reduce runoff into the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River and Coeur d’Alene Lake. Once complete, the project is expected to treat up to 90% of stormwater runoff, reducing phosphorus loads into the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River by 41 pounds per year in perpetuity with minimal maintenance. The new stormwater management system will also reduce puddling and ice on driving and walking surfaces, improving safety for the students, teachers, bus drivers, parents, and the community. 

The project is scheduled to be complete by August 30.