Farmington Public Schools presented multiple facilities and equipment items Aug. 12, including a state‑funded water‑filtration grant and recommended vehicle and equipment purchases that the district said are proceeding through the finance and facilities process.

Mrs. Heinrich, who summarized the Finance & Facilities Committee’s summer work, said the district received a state Filter First grant of $771,849 to install filtered bottle‑fill and drinking stations across district buildings; staff said the early childhood center retrofit is already complete and that the installation must be finished during the 2025–26 school year. Facilities staff said about 140 drinking fountains across the district will be retrofitted and that the work is funded by the state grant with installation by the district’s contract plumbing vendor.

Facilities staff also presented a recommendation to purchase three school buses through the 2024 MSVO bus purchasing program: two 21‑passenger special‑education buses with wheelchair lifts and one 71‑passenger general‑education bus. The three vehicles were estimated at $392,885. Staff said the district is sticking with a single manufacturer to keep the fleet uniform for maintenance and driver familiarity.

The facilities department proposed replacing an aging 2007 Caterpillar 420E backhoe with a Bobcat skid steer, citing heavy recent repair costs. Staff said the new wheeled loader would cost about $95,000 before trade‑in and could arrive within 30 days of order; the vendor quoted a three‑year manufacturer warranty.

Designers updated the board on a planned 5,400‑square‑foot multipurpose space at Farmington High School’s northeast corner. Schematic designs call for two flexible sections separated by a folding partition to serve daytime instruction (including robotics) and evening programming; staff said bidding would begin in November or December with an estimated 16‑month construction timeline funded by the 2020 bond.

Curriculum and athletics staff asked the board to approve purchases for performing‑arts attire and athletic fitness equipment. Staff said an error in earlier music orders left North Farmington High School short roughly $6,000 in choir dresses and requested an additional purchase from the same vendor. The district also recommended replacement of commercial‑grade fitness equipment at Farmington High (about $49,000) and North Farmington High (about $33,000); quotes include shipping, installation and five‑year parts warranties.

Most items were presented as committee recommendations and discussion points; the bus and equipment purchases and the grant were on the agenda for board consideration later in the meeting or will return as formal action items. Board members asked clarifying questions about installation schedules, whether pipes would be replaced (staff said the work focused on fountains and retrofits, not piping), equipment warranties and the district’s evaluation of alternative fuel buses (staff said they are monitoring electric and propane options but have not committed to a transition).

District staff credited custodial and facilities teams and grant writers for securing the state funding and noted the Filter First initiative stems from state efforts to improve water quality in schools after Flint. The board did not take a final recorded vote on all items during the Aug. 12 discussion; several items were described as coming back to the board for formal approval.