Board approves multiple capital contracts; approves Hartwood design contract conditionally after seeking county confirmation of site conveyance

The school board voted on a set of capital contracts at its June 10 meeting, approving mechanical design and court replacement contracts and conditionally approving the architectural contract for the Hartwood Elementary School rebuild while asking county supervisors to confirm conveyance of the proposed site.

Key votes and outcomes

- Architectural/engineering for Hartwood Elementary: The board voted 5–2 to award Samaha Associates a contract in the amount of $2,963,395 for architectural and engineering design services for a Hartwood Elementary rebuild on the Westlake/Crawford property. Two members opposed the award; the board approved a friendly amendment that asked staff to obtain a resolution or confirmation from the Board of Supervisors that the county intends to convey the Westlake site to the school division before the design contract is executed. Board members said the amendment was intended to reduce the risk of designing a school on land that might later be used for other public purposes. The motion carried 5–2 (dissenters recorded in the public minutes).

- Project management for Hartwood: A $192,223.92 contract to McDonough, Bulliard & Peck for project‑management services was placed on hold and deferred to a later board meeting so the board can act alongside site‑conveyance confirmation and final execution of the design contract.

- Rodney Thompson mechanical systems: The board approved a $395,644 contract with Mosley Architects to design the replacement of Rodney Thompson Elementary School’s mechanical systems. The project is in the capital improvement plan with an estimated total project cost of approximately $16.5 million; phases and schedule will be defined in the design phase.

- Dixon Smith tennis/pickleball courts: The board approved a $195,286.25 contract to replace the outdoor courts at Dixon Smith; staff said current practice is to add pickleball striping when resurfacing tennis courts to expand community use.

Board discussion and next steps

Several board members said they support moving the Hartwood project forward but wanted formal confirmation from the Board of Supervisors that the Westlake parcel will be conveyed for school use. Staff said the Westlake property is a large proffered parcel (roughly 65 acres after prior proffer amendments) and that preliminary discussions and the division’s CIP had identified the parcel for Hartwood; however, staff acknowledged the parcel is not yet formally conveyed and noted civil/site work is the most site‑sensitive portion of design. The board directed staff to seek a resolution from the Board of Supervisors confirming intent to convey the site and scheduled a short special meeting later in June to consider contract execution if county confirmation is received.

Why it matters: The Hartwood rebuild is a multiyear, multimillion‑dollar capital program that will affect staffing, facility capacity and neighborhood traffic patterns. The board’s conditional approval attempts to balance schedule pressures for design and permitting with public‑land conveyance risk.

Votes at a glance

- Samaha Associates (Hartwood Elementary architectural/engineering): Motion carried 5–2; amount $2,963,395; board requested county resolution confirming site conveyance before contract execution. - McDonough, Bulliard & Peck (Hartwood project management): Deferred to a later meeting for alignment with Hartwood site confirmation. - Mosley Architects (Rodney Thompson mechanical systems): Approved 7–0; contract $395,644; total project estimated in CIP at $16.5M; phasing to be determined in design. - Dixon Smith courts (tennis/pickleball resurfacing): Approved 7–0; contract $195,286.25.

Staff said if county confirmation arrives quickly they will bring executed contract documents to a short special meeting in late June; otherwise staff will continue with other capital projects and return in August on deferred items.