Oak Park hears updates on transportation, food service and facility projects; board told bleacher replacement bids came in under budget
Summary
District staff briefed the board on contract renewals and capital projects including a proposed renewal with First Student for transportation, a Chartwells food-service renewal required by state guidance, a bleacher replacement awarded under budget and a Cisco phone-system upgrade.
District staff updated the Oak Park Board of Education on several operational contracts and capital projects at the June 9 meeting, including transportation, food service, stadium bleachers and the phone system.
Staff said the district's contract with First Student for transportation is up for extension; the vendor has proposed a daily-rate increase but the presenter said Oak Park remains among the lowest per-bus daily rates locally. The item was presented as information; board members were advised negotiations continue.
The district also presented a one-year renewal of Chartwells' food-service contract. Staff said the renewal is a standard, annual item required by the Michigan Department of Education and includes a 3% increase under the existing bid structure.
On capital work, the board received a bid tabulation for the OPPA (athletics) bleacher replacement and the electrical work. Staff said the project came in about $75,000 under the $250,000 budget; InterCall was recommended for bleacher installation and Great Lakes Power for electrical components.
Finally, staff briefed the board on a planned upgrade to the district's Cisco phone and voicemail platform, including hardware replacements and a migration to cloud voice services. The staff presenter said the upgrade will improve 9-1-1 location services and provide modern voicemail and call-routing features; a modest cost increase was expected and staff offered to report the exact figure in the weekly update.
Why it matters: These operational contracts and capital projects affect daily operations, safety systems and facility assets. The bleacher project being under budget reduces immediate capital pressure, while the phone upgrade is intended to strengthen emergency-call accuracy.
Board members asked clarifying questions about budget impact and warranty coverage on installed systems; staff said manufacturer warranties remain in place for newly installed HVAC and other equipment and that project accounting will be reflected in the capital projects fund.
