Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Superintendent reports facilities progress; board tables landscaping agreements after vendor questions
Summary
Superintendent Madeline Negron presented a facilities operations update at the Aug. 11 Board of Education meeting, reporting progress on hot water heaters, door-lock installations, flooring, HVAC, pools, solar canopies, custodial readiness and recycling.
Superintendent Madeline Negron presented a facilities operations update at the Board of Education meeting on Aug. 11, 2025, reporting progress on hot water heaters, Yonder phone-lock installations, flooring, fire alarms, HVAC readiness, solar canopy sites, pools, custodial cleaning and recycling programs.
The update listed completed and in-progress work across multiple schools. The presentation said Yonder lockers had been installed at Hill House, Career, MBA, co-op and HSC; the next installations were underway at ESIMs, Sound School and Wilbur Cross with an estimated completion date of Aug. 15. Hot water heater replacements were completed at East Rock, Davis and FAME and were pending completion at Fairhaven. Library carpeting at Sound School and Ross Woodward was reported as complete; a Troup/Troop library installation had an estimated completion date of Aug. 19. The Ross Woodward fire alarm control panel upgrade was complete; the Cooperative Arts School had received cooling-tower bids with an estimated completion in fall 2025. The presentation also reported that solar canopy projects at Hill Central and Beecher were "estimate completion is $8.22, which seems to be on course." The district reported nine schools composting and 20 schools recycling.
Facilities staff listed 11 schools with inadequate or no air conditioning and said Turcom Mechanical technicians were on site daily: Adult Ed, Lincoln Bassett, Beecher, Betsy Ross, Celentano, Wilbur Cross, John Daniels, Doctor Mayo, King Robinson, Ross Woodward and Truman. Temporary chillers were installed at John Daniels and Betsy Ross, and weekly or daily coordination meetings with contractors were reported. Custodial readiness for fall cleaning was reported at 77 percent district-wide, with grounds work and grass cutting scheduled to be completed by Aug. 27. School-based health clinic suites were reported 100 percent complete at Davis, Ross Woodward, Truman and Wilbur Cross.
Earlier in the meeting the board's Finance & Operations chair moved to table agreement 5.04 and contracts 7.01 and 7.02 so the committee could obtain additional information; that motion was seconded and approved. After the facilities presentation, board member Miss Downer questioned who was cutting district grass this summer. Facilities staff said three vendors were on call and named two: "Amazon, Cheapscapes, and one other name that escapes me," and said the grounds manager oversees vendor assignment. Miss Downer said she was concerned because the Finance & Operations committee had voted to table Cheapskates and asked for clarification about whether Cheapskates had been on district property. Facilities staff said they would check and email the board with exact details.
Board member Mister Wilcox asked the district to report to Finance & Operations or to the full board on power generation and cost savings for the solar canopies as they come online and to confirm any grass-cutting activity this summer. Superintendent Negron said staff would email the requested details to the entire board.
Action: the board tabled agreement 5.04 and contracts 7.01 and 7.02; staff will provide follow-up information requested by Finance & Operations and by individual board members and will return the items when the committee has the information.
