Staff photo by Fritz Busch A construction worker operates a bulldozer at the Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop (GFW) PreK-12 just north of State Highway 19 in Gibbon Monday. The school board heard a project update from project managers Monday.

GIBBON — The ground may be dry as a bone now, but the Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop (GFW) School Board learned that heavy summer rain and project state permit delays are challenging a fall 2025 completion of a new $70 million pre-K-12 school.

“We lost 39 working days, about two months of time, from May through August. It’s very difficult to make up that much time,” Kraus-Anderson Construction Company Senior Project Manager Dustin Kempf told the school board Monday.

Kempf said permit delays are an industry-wide problem.

He said he met with GFW Superintendent Dr. Kelly Smith to restructure the completion schedule and determine what the school district’s biggest construction project needs were.

“We restructured the (project) schedule to make sure school district and elementary offices would be finished first, along with safety systems getting done on time for elementary kids and staff coming into the building during winter break,” Kempf said.

He said there is an abundance of school construction projects underway now which may be part of the reason for permit delays.

“It’s a little bit easier to move elementary students in first. High school students are involved in more aspects of the building. The recent dry weather has helped immensely. This is still a tentative schedule based on weather and deliverables that I think is pretty conservative,” said Smith.

The board unanimously approved a $57,300 change order request, motion by Ken Briese, seconded by Russell Miller. The request includes $28,650 for an electric fire pump, $5,750 to install it and $22,900 for a reduced-voltage, soft start controller and automatic power transfer switch, if required.

The fire pump and related items were added to the project for adequate fire suppression and to meet code-required water pressure.

The board approved new GFW Public School Firebirds logos effective July 1, 2025, motion by Miller, seconded by Emilee Stehr. Miller said students and public input supported the Firebirds mascot.

The maximum preliminary 2024 payable 2025 property tax levy, a 2.2% ($143,687.22) increase from last year, was approved, motion by Mark Turtle, seconded by George Grosam. The preliminary levy includes a 12.7% ($230,953,97) increase, 9% ($8,569.73) community services hike and a -2.1% ($95,836.48) debt service reduction.