School facilities staff updated trustees on remaining work to complete the new horticulture building, the city review of site plantings required for an occupancy permit, a modest contingency balance and the cost of eradicating Japanese knotweed found on campus property.

Crystal (reporting for Tim Smith) told trustees that the sidewalk project will begin June 16, that the energy management system estimate has gone over the original appropriation and the city reduced that estimate by about $100,000 but the project remains over budget and is on hold. She also said the debuilding roof repair drawings are in progress and that sawdust collection engineering for the cabinet program is at an early stage.

On the horticulture building, staff said the city requires landscaping and planting work before final occupancy can be granted; the planting season window for many species typically closes around June 15. That timing creates a challenge because the construction contractor will still be completing final work when the planting window closes, likely pushing final landscaping into the fall. Staff and the site designer (Berkshire Design) proposed returning to the city for an updated site plan that reduces tree counts and allows the school to plant additional trees in the fall.

Trustees reviewed contingency balances and near‑term capital choices. Staff reported a tuition‑revolving account balance and an approximate contingency balance of $96,000; demolition of the old horticulture building, including abatement, was quoted at about $90,000. The board discussed possible uses for remaining contingency funds (demolition, additional drainage work to prevent winter stormwater washouts, a clear‑coat finish for interior timber at about $10,000) and asked staff to bring a prioritized recommendation over the summer.

Staff also reported multiple sightings of Japanese knotweed on school property, including steep slopes near the former VA lot, an area near the storage barn and a hillside abutting Mosier Street. An outside contractor provided a three‑year eradication proposal with first‑year costs on the order of several thousand dollars per site; staff estimated first‑year total costs in the low thousands to several thousands (combined approximately $6,000–$7,000 depending on access and treatment complexity). Staff warned that eradication is typically a three‑year program with declining costs in years two and three.

No formal capital reallocation vote occurred. Trustees asked staff to return with final contingency recommendations, including timelines and the cost‑benefit of demolishing the old horticulture building versus retaining it.