The Lewis Central Community School District Board of Directors received an update Aug. 4 that most facility work is on schedule for the start of the school year, but playground installation delays and problematic LED lighting controls could push some items past opening day.
Board members were told the district is “still tracking to have pretty much all of our facility stuff done by the beginning of the school year,” Superintendent said during the facilities report.
The superintendent and facilities staff said parking lots are being finished, concrete access work near Titan Hill is in progress, and sidewalk pours at the high school are complete. The district plans to paint a solid line instead of installing a curb where parking-lot drainage prevents a typical curb, and will use movable bollards for high-traffic events to protect pedestrians.
Playground contractor schedules have slipped because of recent rain, the superintendent said. Targets given in the meeting were an original goal of Sept. 15 for Titan Hill and Aug. 23 for Craft; speakers estimated a one-week delay, moving Craft to about Aug. 30 and Titan Hill to about Sept. 22 if weather issues persist. Officials said turf and turnkey installation were included in those dates.
At the high school, painting of the gym, commons and weight room is nearly complete with a final walkthrough expected the Friday after the meeting. The middle school roof project is done, and the middle school EPIC intercom system is scheduled for a two- to three-week installation window that could run “right up to the wire” before school opens.
The board also heard that LED lighting switches installed at one building are not behaving as expected; technicians are troubleshooting and the district will rely on warranty replacements so there is no additional cost to the district if components need to be swapped. Facilities staff indicated that, while dimming functions might be postponed, basic on/off operation will be restored for staff use when school resumes.
Board members discussed the tennis courts and temporary parking solutions. The district plans to remove tennis-surface material and paint parking lines on the old courts this fall to provide interim parking, pending city work on a nearby exit at Harry Langdon.
The superintendent and staff emphasized the remaining items are minor "speed bumps" and urged patience; they invited board members to a building tour before the next meeting to review progress.
The board did not take separate action on facility items during the meeting beyond routine approvals of the agenda and consent items; the facilities update was presented as information.