A plan to renovate the gym entrance on the south side of the Lone Tree school is on hold.

In a 3-2 vote at its Nov. 13 meeting, the Lone Tree school board voted to table action on a $627,000 bid for the project.

“I would like to see this tabled to make sure this is something we’re all comfortable with,” board President Christina Magruder said. “I want to be sure this is what’s best for our district at this time.”

One of the reasons for her hesitation was the news that the district’s request for a $200,000 grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation had been denied.

“Not getting the Riverboat grant, that’s a big chunk of money,” Magruder said during a discussion of the issue at a work session on Monday. “I think there are still opportunities for grants for schools out there.”

She added: “If we start construction, that’s going to limit our possibilities with a grant.”

“I’m in favor of tabling as long as we can keep it on schedule,” board Vice President Mike Waldschmidt said. “I don’t want to lose this bid.”

In a work session on the subject Monday, Superintendent Ken Crawford said the board could vote on the bids at the December meeting and keep the project on schedule. He said he would ask the low bidder about extending the timeline until the new year, which would provide time to look for other grants.

Bids were opened Oct. 29, with McComas Lacina Construction of Iowa City being the low bidder.

Crawford seemed surprised by the suggested delay at the Nov. 13 meeting.

“All indications were that we were moving forward,” Crawford said.

Business Manager Kelli Forbes pointed out that the district has an $85,000 contract with Neumann Monson Architects, and half of that has been paid.

Magruder, Waldschmidt and Josh Zaruba voted in favor of tabling the issue. Board members Joel Yedlik and Sheila Burr voted against it.

The discussion came after a lengthy public hearing, during which Lone Tree resident Brent Parizek argued against the scope of the project.

“I agree that security is very important,” Parizek said. “I believe it could be done without a new entrance.”

Crawford said that the district has the money for the project in Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) funds and sales tax funds.

“We don’t have to put a bond out there or do anything with taxes,” Crawford said.

Parizek countered that other projects, like upgrading the school’s heating and cooling system, should be a higher priority than renovating the gym entrance.

“Are we sure we want to go down this road with the economy we’re facing?” Parizek asked. “This is a lot of money for a small school. This is about what you want, not what you need. We need to take care of what we already have.”

Jim Johnson of The News contributed to this story.