District outlines summer construction plans: parking, courts, roofs and drainage in project spreadsheet

Lewis Central Comm School District staff on March 17 walked the board through a consolidated project spreadsheet that lists probable costs, bid results and phasing for several facility projects planned for the summer construction season.

Project advocates and facilities staff described site-specific scope, phasing to maintain school access and a timeline to keep work from disrupting classes. The spreadsheet shown to the board includes individual bid amounts for some items and cost estimates for others; staff said the document will be updated weekly and reposted for public transparency.

Key project summaries discussed:

- High school parking lot and traffic: Design by Lamprenierson (recorded in the meeting with transcription variants) covers pavement replacement and parking-lot lighting; current design does not include a proposed new access lane pending city review of Harry Langdon traffic changes. The consultant’s current estimate recorded in the meeting is $2,043,400. Bids were due April 4 and the board planned to review them at the April 7 meeting.

- High school tennis courts and drainage: Plans call for moving deteriorated tennis courts to a west-side grass area and combining court construction with drainage work that clears a corridor down to the Wabash Trail. The district’s design estimate presented in the meeting was $1,155,850 for courts and drainage; the project includes clearing and mitigation to run water south away from old railroad tracks.

- Titan Hill parking lot and queuing lane: Project intends to replace the worst sections of the teacher parking area, add an extra queuing lane for parent traffic, and replace approximately 80 percent of sidewalks in front of the building to remove trip hazards. The Lamprenier estimate recorded in the meeting was about $697,450.

- Roof projects: Staff discussed a phased high school roof project (phase two described as covering second-story sections) at an estimated $800,000 per district notes, and a middle-school roof project that proceeded to bid award (JR Roofing awarded $143,744). Staff explained that construction-payment timing (June vs. July/August) affects which fiscal year the expense falls into.

- Other site and systems work: The high school fire-alarm replacement, awarded in the meeting to Total Fire and Security, and planned safety-camera/door improvements were discussed as additional summer work. Staff noted the need to maintain monitoring during any alarm-system changeover.

Staff emphasized phasing that keeps at least one access route to schools open at all times and mentioned coordination with city and county officials on roadway changes near Harry Langdon and Highway 92. The board was told the project spreadsheet will be maintained and shared; project advocates will forward weekly updates and include bid tabulations and contractor verification information.

Quotes from staff and trustees during the discussion included requests for clear timelines and confirmations that work will be phased to permit continuous school access. The board did not alter project scopes at the meeting and approved required specifications and RFPs for several items under separate motions.

The district noted the upcoming bond issuance (board referenced a planned $20 million issuance in May) that will fund a portion of the work; staff said final certified budget and timing of construction payments will determine the ultimate budget year for specific expenses.