Del Norte High School's first tiny house construction. Photo courtesy of DNUSD.

Del Norte Unified will use state Career Technical Education Facility Grant Program dollars to build a shop for Del Norte High School’s Tiny House program.

The Board of Trustees on Thursday, voted 3-0-2, in favor of a $921,011 contract with Pierson Company to build the facility. Trustees Frank Magarino and Jamie Forkner were absent.

The shop will be 30 feet by 50 feet with a 19 foot by 30 foot canopy in front, according to Steve Morgan, DNUSD’s director of facilities and construction.

Morgan said $846,227 in state CTFP dollars will pay for the project. At its Dec. 10, 2020 meeting, trustees also approved using $152,689 in voter-approved GO Bond money for the project.

Though the difference between the district’s contract with Pierson and the state CTFP dollars is just $74,780, Morgan recommended using the approved bond dollars for “anything else that comes up.”
The state CTFP money is reimbursement dollars for the district’s weld shop and a transportation grant, according to Danielle Lim, senior consultant with School Facilities Consultant.
The tiny house workshop, weld shop and wood shop were three projects at the high school the district had planned to pay for using $693,000 in CTFP dollars. On Thursday, Del Norte Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Harris said the project estimate the district had received in December was about $850,840. He noted that costs of materials has increased.
“The low bid Steve is recommending tonight has increased as well,” he said.
Proceeds from the sale of the tiny house is expected to be used toward the following year’s project, Assistant Superintendent of Business Jeff Napier told trustees in December. The decision to construct a tiny house comes in lieu of building a single-family home, an endeavor that can take multiple years.

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