Board hears May update on Florence Brasser and high school capital projects; fields raised, panels and canopies installed

A district representative presented the Gates Chili Board of Education with a May 2025 capital improvement update describing construction progress at several sites, including work at the high school technology space, Florence Brasser Elementary and the middle school fields.

The presenter said painting, hallway tiling and epoxy floors are nearly complete in the high school technology area and that exterior brick is being installed. Middle school music space abatement and selective demolition were completed and a parking area and asphalt are being reworked. The presentation said DeFiore, the district’s site contractor, has been bringing the fields up by “3 to 5 feet” and that conduit and power work to feed field lighting is underway; five light poles were already installed.

At Florence Brasser the presenter described completed structural steel, infilled OT/PT walls and new bathroom foundations; students signed an exposed steel beam that will be covered when construction finishes. Photos shown at the meeting included epoxy floors, ductwork for a dust‑collection system in the high school technology area, and demolition at the middle school.

On budget status the presenter reported contractors had billed 75% of phase 1 and that phase 2 billing was at 27%; district allowances expended to date totaled $209,769. The presenter said contingency had not changed.

Board members asked clarifying questions about a curved canopy at the main secure entry and the presenter described the canopy as an arc intended to match design elements at the high school. The presenter also explained a structural fabric used under field stone: “It’s a woven fabric that is meant to...hold the stone above it,” the presenter said, describing how the fabric helps manage subgrade stability.

The board received the update; no formal board action was recorded on the capital projects report.