The Perry School Board convened Monday afternoon for a special session.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the industrial technology and wrestling room facility project in more detail. First off, Dan Culp, a representative from Carl A. Nelson & Company gave a presentation to the Board about the benefits of hiring a construction manager for a project of this size. They showed current and past projects they’ve worked on for other school Districts and outlined areas where they were able to conserve money on the total bottom line. Following the presentation, the Board asked several questions, including what the fees would be. Culp estimated that hiring them would cost $800,000 on the $6 million project, which would be included in the total budget not in addition to it.

The Board realized there is a lot more discussion needed before presenting a bond issue to the public, so they elected to table decisions regarding ballot and petition language to a future meeting. That means that there won’t be enough time to get a bond vote in December, so they will instead look to February. In the meantime, the administration will consider the offer from Carl A. Nelson & Co, including checking their references. The Board felt confident that they will hire a construction manager before long, but agreed they need to do their due diligence. There was no official action taken at the meeting.