Capital Campaign

Summer 2024

 

An update on the Maplewood Academy cafeteria campaign is long overdue. After being in Minnesota for a year, I’m only now beginning to feel like I am getting a solid picture of the reality we are facing. I have been told that when the campaign started nearly seven years ago, the amount needed to build a new building was estimated to be in the neighborhood of $2 million. Nearly that amount was raised when the pandemic hit and stopped everything except inflation.

 

By the time the pandemic was over, and a firm estimate was obtained based on actual drawings, the price of a new building had increased to $5.3 million. Costs are only going up over time, so at the last price check, building a new cafeteria will require about $4 million more than we currently have on hand.

 

So we are left with the dilemma of how best to move forward. The imaginable options are:

 

1. While trying to outpace inflation, continue trying to raise another $4 million+ for a new building according to the current design.

2. Use a cheaper construction method and try to reduce the amount needed slightly to build a new facility.

3. Completely remodel the current building. (Probably a similar cost to constructing a new building but we could do it in smaller stages.)

4. Re-envision the project as a community wellness center that includes a cafeteria open to the public, plus other community-used features like exercise room, pickleball courts, etc. (This would increase the price, but an evangelistic/mission vision for the community could potentially bring in new donors.)

5. Make necessary repairs to the current building and continue using it. (Estimate still needed.)

6. Perhaps there are other options we have not yet considered?

 

That is where the situation currently stands. The Maplewood Academy board continues to discuss the possibilities at each meeting, recognizing that we cannot continue as we have been. For example, during all the rain we have had recently, the building flooded heavily. Not from the roof, which has been fixed, but from one side where water came through the wall.

 

Thank you for your patience as we navigate these challenges. For those who have already donated, please rest assured those gifts are being held in trust for when we are ready to make the next step forward. If you’re interested in donating, please visit maplewoodacademy.org/donations and choose the Capital Campaign option.

 

In the meantime, if you have any creative ideas about how we can resolve this ongoing challenge, please reach out to me at president@mnsda.com.

 

Blessings, Jeff Scoggins

Maplewood Academy Board Chair