Polson upgrades to include whole‑building generator for emergency shelter use; district flags tariff risk for Folsom work

District staff reported on HVAC work across schools and highlighted a generator procurement that district leaders say is critical to using Polson as an emergency center.

Staff said rooftop unit parts have been ordered and that equipment pre‑ordering is on schedule for a targeted June 2026 start for some installations. The Polson HVAC package is tied to making the building an emergency shelter; staff said the package includes a whole‑building generator and that the generator has a roughly 12‑month lead time. "One of the biggest things to item up to to get in place prior to anything get started is actually get the generator on order because it's a it's a 1 year lead time on that," District staff (Speaker 1) said. Staff said the plan is to place the order by May at the latest.

Staff said the generator will provide full air conditioning and heating for the building when operational and that the project includes investigation of locker room shower reconfigurations to improve privacy in portions of those facilities. A building committee meeting is ongoing for Polson and staff are awaiting some documents from Gilbane to finalize procurement timing.

On the Folsom project, staff cautioned that tariffs could raise costs but said Folsom uses minimal structural steel, which may limit exposure. "We're not anticipating a lot of the tariffs are related to the steel and stuff like that. There's not a lot of steel that goes into the Folsom project," District staff (Speaker 1) said. Staff added that the district will need to accommodate higher costs if tariffs affect procurement.

District staff asked for continued coordination with Gilbane on documents and scheduling and noted lead times for key equipment will drive near‑term procurement decisions.