Pulaski County staff say security wall, stadium civil work and Northwood fiber came in below budget; board told nearly $1 million would remain after projects

Pulaski County Public Schools staff told the School Board that recent pricing for planned summer capital projects came in under the amounts carried in the capital fund and that the division could proceed without borrowing if costs remain within the updated estimates.

The update centered on three projects. Staff reported the security wall bid at $630,000, under the $800,000 amount the division had been carrying for the work. The civil portion of stadium lighting and stadium renovation work came in under the roughly $600,000 civil estimate previously budgeted; staff said they expect the electrical portion to be about $900,000 and that if the electrical quote arrives as expected the combined lighting work will still be under the total $1.5 million placeholder carried earlier. Staff also said fiber work at Northwood cost about $150,000 versus a $250,000 budgeted allowance, producing roughly $100,000 in savings.

"The security wall came in $630,000 — so under budget," said a staff member reporting to the board. "If the lighting comes in on budget, I'd like to move forward with those two projects." The staff member told the board the contractor has seen plans and that the division was “ready to cut a bid” if members had no objections.

Staff said that combining the security wall, the stadium improvements (civil and pending electrical pricing) and completing the Northwood fiber work from cash on hand would leave about $982,000 in the capital fund cash balance after the projects. "Factoring those two things in plus the civil portion of the lighting... we'll still have close to a million dollars in the capital fund cash available on hand after these projects," the staff member said.

The staff presentation noted a dependence on a pending electrical quote from Musco and warned that electrical pricing could change: "We're waiting on the electrical portion. I'm anticipating it to be around 900,000. If it comes in at 900,000, it will be under budget." The presenter asked the board for no objection to proceed if the final numbers remain within those estimates; no formal board vote was requested at that point.

The report also included a brief comparative figure for the division’s general cash availability: staff said the division had a notable cash balance compared with the same time last year, and that the county contribution reported in the monthly financials had decreased compared with the previous month’s report. Details on county contribution amounts and the overall capital-fund reconciliation were shown in staff materials presented to the board.

Next steps reported by staff included awaiting the electrical quote, finalizing bid documents, and proceeding with procurement if quotes remain within the revised estimates. Staff said they would return with final contract recommendations and that they planned to pay for Northwood out of the capital fund rather than take a loan if the savings and current cash balance hold.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the presentation; staff responses emphasized that the division would not borrow if the prices remain as stated and that the division was prepared to award work once final pricing was received.

The update did not record a formal motion to award contracts during the meeting; staff sought the board’s informal concurrence to proceed if final prices matched the estimates.