Facility committee trims middle-school fence cost, reviews $5.3 million in project savings and maintenance requests

The Facility Committee on Sept. 4 reviewed a mid-project reconciliation for the new middle school, approved work to replace part of the site fence at an owner-funded cost of about $35,000 and discussed a slate of capital maintenance requests estimated at roughly $5.3 million in available funds if projects closed today.

Committee members heard that construction-manager contingency and owner contingency together total a little over $3.1 million in the contract; staff updated projected middle-school savings to $3.7 million and identified an additional $1.3 million tied to unfinished high‑school or district work, producing the $5.3 million figure. Rebecca, a project staff member, said the update reflects estimated savings in HVAC, electrical and plumbing contracts and is “our best effort to give you the most complete picture we can at this point.”

Why it matters: the updated savings picture feeds decisions about next summer’s high‑school campus work and the district’s effort to lower its property tax levy. Administrators told the committee the budget committee is exploring a combination of refinancing and using some of these project savings to reduce the levy from an initial projection of 10.4 percent toward a 6 percent target. Staff also reported a $1 million check received from the IRS under an Inflation Reduction Act rebate for the Heritage project.

On the new middle school site fence, Dr. Brown, a staff member, said an earlier proposed change order “in the hundred and 15 ish thousand dollar range” was reduced after multiple site walk‑throughs. She said the south side of the campus already has a concrete wall and that some adjacent apartment fencing is heavily vegetated; the committee approved replacing only the sections where optics matter for the new building, primarily the fence along the cemetery and the perimeter abutting St. John’s garage. Rebecca said the owner‑funded portion was reduced to about $35,000 and that Dr. Brown had approval authority to finalize that amount under existing thresholds.

Committee members reviewed other capital maintenance items on the same list and agreed to reserve flexibility for urgent repairs between meetings. Administration proposed allocating funds so facilities staff can approve emergency HVAC, plumbing, electrical or parking-lot repairs while the committee moves to a less‑frequent meeting schedule; Dr. Brown noted her existing authority to approve items up to $50,000 under board policy and said administration would report back on any in‑between expenditures.

Several larger maintenance requests drew extended discussion. Scott, a facilities staff member, described aging ceiling‑mounted basketball hoop assemblies in the field house that have exceeded 20 years of service and are becoming unsafe and difficult to maintain. He said multiple repair vendors are unwilling to provide lasting fixes and that replacement quotes ranged roughly from $100,000 to $150,000 to replace all 12 drop‑down hoops. The committee removed the hoops from the current approval list to allow additional vendor review and planned to revisit the item at the October meeting.

John, a facilities staff member, updated the committee on cafeteria tables at Prairie Elementary. A prior vendor error prompted staff to pursue a direct‑to‑manufacturer approach; the manufacturer had a dealer relationship with the company now supplying furniture for Heritage and the new middle school (Atmosphere). John said installation logistics remain and estimated install costs from Bogle at about $20,117; staff recommended swapping to the manufacturer/dealer chain to secure products and timelines for summer 2026.

Staff also raised heating and HVAC risk items at the high school. North American Mechanical recommended adding a backup boiler because several boilers in the main high‑school boiler room were installed in 2004, are at end of life and three of six are not functional. Administration described the replacement as a risk‑mitigation recommendation rather than a requirement; the committee discussed the tradeoffs and durability of equipment. Separately, staff said one of two large rooftop air‑conditioning units serving half the high school (installed 2004) could fail in the future but administration recommended continued repair rather than a $150,000 replacement now because a planned long‑term master‑planning option could use geothermal systems that would make a traditional rooftop unit redundant.

Finally, the committee directed removal of one portable classroom from a site; staff said they expected price information but that the unit would be removed as the best optics for the campus. For several items on the list, staff said exact costs were “not specified” at the meeting and that they would return with firm quotes.

Committee action and next steps: the committee voted to approve the updated capital maintenance list with the basketball‑hoop replacement removed for further research; the motion passed on a voice vote. Staff will return with additional vendor quotes and with a report on any emergency repairs funded between meetings. Administration also said it will bring further updates on the mid‑project reconciliation and options the budget committee is exploring to reduce the tax levy.

Ending note: members asked that any ongoing capital‑planning tool be both transparent and usable; administration said it would explore database and tool options to replace or augment the current spreadsheet system used to track assets and projected maintenance needs.