Quarterly change‑order report: board hears about fire‑marshal, asbestos and mold concerns

A district facilities staff member presented the second‑quarter change‑order report at the Sept. 2 informal meeting, reporting 24 finalized change orders for April through June 2025; six of those had previously been presented to the board. Board member Grabowski asked why the installation of strobes and smoke detectors had been missed during planning and whether the district could adjust internal design procedures to avoid recurring code‑related change orders. A facilities staff member said fire marshals sometimes add requirements at final inspection that are not present on approved plans, resulting in additional costs. “They typically have a lot of additional things besides what would be approved in the plans for them to give their final inspections and approvals,” the staff member said. Board member Ringman raised a separate item on asbestos‑abatement additional costs and asked whether the district’s pre‑bid procedures could be improved to identify hazardous materials earlier. The staff member acknowledged that hidden conditions such as asbestos often surface during renovation and said earlier testing or different preconstruction procedures can reduce surprise costs. Board member Howard Hall raised concerns from employees at 208 Wall Street reporting mold exposure symptoms. Staff said Human Resources, the Office of Instructional Excellence and the Office of School Leadership remain at the 208 Wall Street location but that plans for updated space and relocations are underway; staff said plans for the needed facility updates had been finalized about two weeks earlier. The presenter told members that any employee reporting health issues at that address should contact their immediate manager so the district can find alternative workspace immediately. The discussion was informational. The meeting then moved to an executive session. No board votes on the change orders were taken at the informal session.