Board approves Filter First bottle‑filling station project after receiving grant; lowest bid reported at $883,071

Marshall — The Marshall Public Schools Board of Education approved purchasing and installing bottle-filling stations under Michigan’s lead-mitigation requirements after administration reported grant funding and a contractor bid.

"To protect Michigan children from exposure to lead in drinking water, the Clean Drinking Water Access Act 2023 PA 1504 and amendments to the Child Care Organization Act 1973 PA 116, collectively also known as Filtered First, were signed into law," a staff presentation said. The administration reported Marshall Public Schools received a Filter First grant of $130,000 to purchase and install bottle-filling stations and test filtered water.

District staff said the lowest bid for the work was submitted by Hunter Perel at $883,071; the purchase will provide 29 bottle-filling units distributed across district properties: eight at the high school, two at Opportunity High School, six at the middle school, four at Walters, and three each at Gordon, Hughes and Harrington elementary schools. A staff member said all potable water sources must have lead-reducing filtration and that the new units will replace existing fountains and include indicator lights showing filter status.

Board approval came by motion (moved by Shauna Gamble, supported by Jerry Underhill). During discussion, board members asked whether the new units would replace current fountains and whether the stations could operate without a bottle in place; staff confirmed the new units can dispense water without a bottle and that existing fountains will be removed where replaced.

Nut graf: The vote implements state law compliance steps for school drinking water by deploying lead-reducing filters and bottle‑filling stations; the grant covers part of the cost but the reported lowest bid substantially exceeds the grant amount, a financing question the board will need to monitor.

Ending: The board approved the contract and directed staff to proceed with procurement and installation. The meeting record did not specify the final funding breakdown or whether additional district funds will be used to cover the gap between the grant and bid amounts; the board did not request an immediate budget amendment on the record.