Underground fuel tank removed at Grandview; corridor tile issues push some work to next summer as district aims to open classrooms for fall

Dustin, a district staff member presenting the construction report, told the school board the Grandview and Westonka construction projects remain active but have encountered unplanned conditions that changed sequencing and timing. Dustin said crews discovered “an underground, underground fuel oil storage tank in the front of the building right where the handicap ramp goes. So that put us behind a little bit,” and that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency had been involved to remove contaminated soil and the tank. He told the board there were “about 7 dumpsters in total” on site to store contaminated material while remediation and backfill proceed. The chain-test of corridor tile at Westonka High showed about 90% of the tile area would require removal, the construction presenter said, because ripping up tile pulls up the underlying mortar “mud bed” and would require replacing the sub-base. That testing result made completing corridor tile replacement this summer infeasible, and the district said the corridor work has been pushed to next year. District staff estimated that a full corridor tile replacement could take “somewhere in the realm of a month and a half to 3 months” to complete, depending on phasing and equipment. Despite those issues, the construction presenter and Superintendent Kevin told the board the district is prioritizing classroom turnover and safety before the start of the school year. Dustin listed near-term work for the middle school and other buildings — interior painting, ceramic tile, casework, acoustic ceiling grid, light and plumbing fixtures, and flooring — and said footings and foundations work at the front entry were scheduled to proceed in July. Kevin said safety is the primary focus and that staff are developing operational plans to separate construction from students and provide safe pathways once school opens. Board members asked about parking impacts and noise. The construction presenter said contractors will not be allowed to park on site and that contractor parking has been staged off site (near Sunnyfield by the ball fields and inside the tennis court area) to preserve student parking. He acknowledged that heavy equipment and tile removal could be noisy and said the team would evaluate timing and mitigation measures to reduce disruption during school hours. The superintendent noted the district had favorable bid results for the projects that have reduced cost pressure but that unanticipated work, such as the tank removal and the tile sub-base replacement, will use contingency funds in part. No formal motion or vote was taken on construction changes during the meeting; the board was updated and asked to expect continued reports.