District reports construction progress at North Hudson, EP Rock and middle school; contingency described as limited

District leaders gave a construction and opening‑readiness update, saying major referendum projects at North Hudson Elementary, EP Rock (site/playground) and the middle school are moving quickly and will be substantially ready for the start of school.

Superintendent Dr. Nick Weillette and facilities director Dustin (facilities staff) described recent progress: exterior glazing and brick repairs at North Hudson, cafeteria and gym finishes, new family‑style bathrooms in the gymnastics space, and sidewalks and asphalt work at EP Rock. The administration said teachers will be able to get into classrooms the week before school to set up, and open houses will be supported; a few specialized areas and some parts of EP Rock were anticipated to finish by roughly Sept. 10. The middle school suffered a sprinkler‑system incident that dumped several thousand gallons on the second floor; mitigation has been completed and the district reported recovery is on track.

Administrators said contractors worked through the weekend to accelerate progress. The district reported it still has “a few $100,000” of contingency remaining in the referendum project budget and that staff have been diligent about limiting unplanned contingency use. The board praised staff for daily site visits and coordination with Bonney/Dustin/contractors to keep the project on track.

Key operational details discussed: - Custodial and facilities staffing have supported construction turnover, and lead custodians received targeted training in summer work. - Some classrooms may open before adjacent common areas are fully complete; the principal offices and some finishing touches may lag classroom readiness by days to a week. - The district has moved network infrastructure, replaced more than 100 mini‑computers and installed new access points as part of remodels; IT and facilities coordinated moving network racks and cabling to new rooms.

Trustees asked about contingency and the project budget. Administration said the project is trending to come in under the total budget and that contingency remains but is limited; they reiterated that if critical systems fail later, additional capital work would be required and could require going back to voters for funding. The board directed staff to continue daily updates and to post progress photos and timelines to keep the community informed.

The district also described a number of facility improvements completed this year outside of the referendum footprint: pool safety upgrades, turf practice area fencing and mobile turf for the softball/back fields, EP Rock playground completion, improvements to the middle‑school media center and ongoing ADA door improvements and pavement management.