The Burlington Local School District superintendent reported Aug. 14 that multiple summer facility projects have been completed or advanced, including a full high‑school roof replacement, parking‑lot resurfacing, new lighting and repaired sidewalks, donor‑funded playground equipment and an asbestos abatement in the high‑school cafeteria.

The work addresses projects the district had planned since June and examples include completion of phase 3 and 4 of the high‑school roof, a multi‑phase resurfacing of the high‑school parking lot and new lighting in parking‑lot islands. The superintendent said completing the roof in one combined effort was made possible by a “next pipeline” settlement and available interest earnings that allowed the district to move forward on the remaining phases in a single contract (the superintendent described the overall roof work as “well over $2,200,000”).

The nut graf: District leaders said the summer projects were intended to reduce future maintenance cycles and improve safety and community use. Work included pavement grinding and sealing of the high‑school lot, replacement of deteriorated middle‑school sidewalks used by community walkers, lighting upgrades and the installation of drainage features to address standing water near athletic areas.

Details and supporting points

- Roofs: The superintendent reported all five district buildings, including the horticulture building, now have roofs addressed in the recent capital work. He said the combined cost for the high‑school roof phases completed this summer was roughly $2,200,000. He thanked the board for approving the work.

- Parking lot and lighting: The district combined previously planned phases of high‑school parking‑lot repairs; the superintendent said the work included grinding, repaving and new parking‑lot islands with rock to reduce mowing. New lighting poles were added in the lot and island areas.

- Sidewalks and campus areas: Middle‑school sidewalks that had become cracked were replaced; the superintendent said one lap of the updated middle‑school loop approaches 400 yards and that community members use the route for walking. Concrete change orders tied to summer paving were later approved by the board (see actions).

- Playground and donors: The superintendent said new playground equipment was installed at Marlboro (described in the packet as a donor project) with four anonymous donors and one donor described as a business/individual supporting the work. The superintendent estimated the play structure itself could cost about $120,000 (estimate provided by superintendent) and said the district covered routine mulch replacement. He characterized the playground work as no direct cost to the district other than mulch and final acceptance on the next agenda for formal recognition.

- Athletic site repairs: The district addressed drainage for the softball batting‑cage/parking area by reconnecting drain tile to the pond and replacing broken drain tile to reduce standing water. The cross‑country course received work to meet safety/accessibility rules the superintendent said had been enforced in recent years.

- Asbestos abatement in cafeteria: During roof work crews discovered the cafeteria floor materials required removal. The superintendent said crews opened tile and found asbestos beneath; the district decided to abate the entire cafeteria to meet legal requirements. The superintendent gave the abatement cost as $35,600 and said the abatement is complete; replacement of new flooring or tile was described as a separate follow‑up expense.

Board action and procurement notes

- At the meeting the board approved several concrete change orders tied to summer paving and repairs: middle‑school concrete sidewalk $10,890; middle‑school “black hole” base $7,200; board office entrance concrete $2,587; concrete walk to middle‑school door No. 5 $18,977. Those change orders were moved and passed by roll call.

Why this matters

The projects touch daily student and community use areas — roofs, parking, sidewalks, playgrounds, cafeterias and athletic facilities — and the district reported using a mix of capital‑project funds, pipeline proceeds and donor support to complete work. The superintendent noted some work (playground equipment) was donor funded and other items required board approval of change orders and budget revisions.

What’s next

District staff said several items remain for follow up, including final invoicing on capital projects and replacement flooring in the cafeteria; the superintendent said the donation acceptance for the playground will be brought to a future board agenda for formal recognition.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article

Superintendent (unnamed), Burlington Local School District — presented the superintendent’s report and described costs and project status.
Mister Josh Hagen — board member (participated in votes and questions).
Miss Kathy Krepko — board member (participated in votes and questions).
Miss Karen Humphreys — board member (participated in votes and questions).
Mister Mark Ryan — board member (participated in votes and questions).
Annie Leibancus — landscaping crew lead (referenced in landscaping/grounds discussion).

Authorities referenced in the transcript

- "Provide code 1 2 1.22 g 5" — referenced at the start of the meeting in the executive‑session motion (transcript text as stated by the board; no additional statute name provided).

Actions (formal approvals and votes)

- Approved concrete change orders totaling four items (see amounts above); roll‑call votes recorded as Yes from board members present.

Clarifying details

- Roof project cost: superintendent stated about $2,200,000 to complete phases 3 and 4 in one contract.
- Playground donors: four anonymous donors plus one business/individual; district to place donation acceptance on future agenda.
- Asbestos abatement cost: $35,600; superintendent reported abatement completed.
- Middle‑school lap length: roughly 400 yards per lap (superintendent).

Proper names

[{"name":"Burlington Local School District","type":"agency"},{"name":"Marlboro","type":"location"},{"name":"Annie Leibancus","type":"person"},{"name":"Stark Community Foundation","type":"organization"}]

Searchable tags

["facilities","capital projects","roofing","pavement","playground","asbestos abatement","drainage","Burlington"]

Provenance

[{"block_id":"block_2478.73","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"alright. So these are projects that, obviously, we have that has been ongoing since June, almost since the kids let out."},{"block_id":"block_3242.15","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"the entire cafeteria is done and and completed. So we are then adding, and I don't think I have pictures playing tile back down or doing something similar to like we did in the CTE Room."}]

Salience

{"overall":0.65,"overall_justification":"Multiple capital projects affecting buildings and student safety with a material budget impact and completed work reported; donors and asbestos abatement increase public interest.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Projects affect district buildings and community users; funding and construction decisions are local in scope.","attention_level":"medium","attention_level_justification":"Important to parents and taxpayers; no immediate emergency reported.","novelty":0.35,"novelty_justification":"Routine capital maintenance but includes donor‑funded playground and unexpected asbestos discovery.","timeliness_urgency":0.55,"timeliness_urgency_justification":"Work is recently completed and invoices/encumbrances remain to be closed out.","legal_significance":0.25,"legal_significance_justification":"Asbestos abatement requires legal compliance; otherwise standard contracting practices.","budgetary_significance":0.60,"budgetary_significance_justification":"Major roof project (~$2.2M) and multiple change orders affect capital project funds.","public_safety_risk":0.20,"public_safety_risk_justification":"Asbestos removal and roofing impact safety but were handled; no ongoing public‑safety emergency reported.","affected_population_estimate":2300,"affected_population_estimate_justification":"Districtwide facilities impact students, staff and community users; estimated district size not specified in transcript.","affected_population_confidence":0.5,"affected_population_confidence_justification":"The transcript did not give an explicit enrollment number.","budget_total_usd":2200000.0,"budget_total_usd_justification":"Superintendent described the roof phases cost as about $2,200,000; other line items add additional change‑orders and abatement costs."}