School Board Rejects Bids on Rubber Mulch

School Board Could Vote on Mulch in Special Session in June

DULUTH, Minn.-The Duluth School Board has voted to not go forward with a $1.2 million bid to replace it’s rubber mulch with a wood fiber.

In recent months, parents expressed concern about the mulch the district currently uses.

Some have suspected it is connected to various diseases such as cancer, which makes it necessary to remove it as quickly as possible. The current bidder for the project wanted to remove it over a three-year period, but that didn’t seem to fly with the school board.

“We rejected the bid for the mulch because it was too expensive and it was going to take three years in contact with suspicious, possibly toxic mulch [with the district’s students],” said Harry Welty, a school board member.

The school board may call a special session by the beginning of June to take on new bids for the project.

To find out more about the project, visit this website.