Woodstock CUSD 200 board approves summer 2025 track change order after debate over added costs
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Summary
Board approved a change order for the Woodstock High School track replacement project during the April 8 meeting after members questioned why key items were not in the original bid and noted the project’s cost has grown from the original estimate.
The Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education on April 8 approved a change order to add work to the summer 2025 external track replacement project at the high school after discussion about missing bid items and rising costs.
The change order motion, made by Board member Hebley, passed on a roll call that recorded affirmative votes from multiple board members. The motion text as recorded in the meeting packet and transcript reads: “Move to approve the change order to add construction to shop fit to the to stock high school external track replacement project for additional 73600 days of loans.” The transcript recording of the motion is garbled on the dollar/amount line; the board discussion referenced different figures during debate and did not provide an unambiguous numeric amount for this specific change-order motion in the transcript.
One board member told colleagues the original construction bid was about $719,000 and that roughly $250,000 in additions had been added since the original approval, a change that prompted questions about whether the architect and bidding process had fully captured scope when the project first went to bid. That board member said they were “a little uncomfortable, little frustrated” that several projects had required significant additions after bids were awarded and asked for closer oversight of architects and bid completeness going forward. The board member did not offer a numerical alternative and noted schedule constraints that made re-bidding impractical for the 2025 timeline.
Board member Hebley and others said timeline constraints and prior decisions by the board made accepting the change order necessary to avoid falling another year behind on the project. Members noted that some items were added to improve accessibility and safety (the transcript references moving the shot put and site changes for safety and accessibility), and that waiting to re-bid could delay completion by roughly a year.
Votes at a glance
- Consent agenda (with item 2.6 pulled): Motion to approve the consent agenda as printed, including the 04/08/2025 personnel agenda. Motion recorded as made by Board member Perez and seconded by a doctor-designated board member (transcript: Doctor Bufol). Roll call recorded yes votes from Board members Gilmore, Preece, Humble, Hadley, Miceli, Perez and Pitwell. Outcome: approved.
- Track replacement change order: Motion as recorded above; motion by Board member Hebley (second recorded in the transcript as a different member). Roll call in the transcript recorded affirmative votes from multiple members (names recorded during roll call: Hedwig, Holmoo, Perusi, Farris, Goodwill, Miceli, Gilmore — all recorded as “Yes” in the transcript). Outcome: approved.
Board discussion distinguished two strains of concern: (1) whether architects had omitted items the district should reasonably have expected to be in the original scope, and (2) the practical need to accept additions to meet the project schedule. Several members urged closer review of bid documents and fuller community/coach involvement in specifications for athletic facilities to avoid repeat changes.
The transcript does not include a clear, unambiguous dollar amount for the single change-order motion text; the meeting packet is referenced by speakers but the transcript supplies only the approximate figures noted above ($719,000 original bid; about $250,000 in later additions). The board approved the change order and directed staff implicitly by discussion to monitor future bidding and architect oversight more closely.
