Sarasota school board hears air‑quality findings at Garden Elementary, approves $63.95 million construction contract to replace school

Sarasota County School Board members on Tuesday heard a detailed update on indoor air‑quality testing at Garden Elementary School and voted to hire a construction manager to replace the school.

The board approved an agreement with contractor John F. Swift with a guaranteed maximum price of $63,946,303.14 and a total project budget of $81,000,000. The vote was 4‑0.

The contract decision follows weeks of testing led by consultant Jim Risk, who told the board his team found a mix of issues at the campus, including moisture intrusion behind an exterior door in Room 138, visible discoloration and elevated biological agents in limited areas, and heavy dirt and discoloration inside air‑handler units and associated ductwork. Risk said the district has begun night and weekend cleaning of air units and ductwork and is replacing damaged materials where needed.

"I am the president of ORC Environmental Engineering… I personally led this assessment," Risk told the board, summarizing investigative steps that included interviews, moisture scans, destructive wall inspections and biological air sampling. He said the team found one exterior‑exposed classroom (Room 138) with moisture intrusion and discoloration behind the wall and areas of elevated biological agents in several parts of the school.

Why it matters: staff and multiple teachers reported symptoms — headaches, watery or itchy eyes, congestion and fatigue — that prompted the district to bring in an outside industrial‑hygiene firm for more extensive testing. The district is proceeding with simultaneous short‑term remediation to reduce occupant exposure and a parallel long‑term replacement project.

Most important remediation steps already started or planned

- Night and weekend deep cleaning of all air‑handler units and associated ductwork; on‑site consultant oversight. - Replacement of an exhaust fan and sealing around restrooms after smoke testing found leaks. - Destructive wall inspections in targeted areas; Room 138 was abated and remediated immediately. - Removal and planned replacement of damaged ceiling tiles in bathrooms; targeted carpet removal and replacement with hard flooring (LVT) scheduled for summer. - Continuous CO2, temperature and relative‑humidity monitoring with data logging; daily CO2 checks and extended HVAC run time to increase fresh air intake. - Additional air and surface sampling after remediation completion; a follow‑up “all clear” evaluation is planned before staff and students return.

District funding and timing

District staff told the board they shifted funds within facilities operating and capital accounts to cover immediate remediation work. Facilities staff said a purchase order to remove and replace carpet this summer was issued for $250,000; Superintendent Conner and facilities staff said they will finalize a full tally only after consultant Risk completes his final testing and signs off. "If Jim suggests something, we're making that happen in our current budget," facilities staff said during Q&A.

Board members asked where the money would come from; the district’s representatives said routine maintenance or repaving projects (for example, planned repaving at Lakeview) were postponed to free funds for Garden work this summer.

Replacement project approved

The board approved a construction‑manager contract for the Garden Elementary replacement project. Superintendent Conner and staff described a two‑story facility with new bus and parent drop loops, playgrounds and outdoor dining and said demolition of the existing campus is part of the plan. "We are breaking ground in the next couple of weeks on the new Garden Elementary School," Conner said; he also noted that state approval for demolition typically requires an existing building to meet threshold conditions (the district cited a roughly 50‑year policy threshold for demolition viability).

Motion and vote

Motion: Board member Edwards moved to approve the agreement with John F. Swift in the amount of $63,946,303.14 for construction services on the Garden Elementary replacement project; the motion was seconded and carried 4‑0.

What's next

District staff said remediation work will continue through the summer, with consultants performing clearance testing before the next school year. The replacement project will proceed in parallel; staff estimated the new building would be ready as the project schedule allows.

Speakers at the meeting emphasized ongoing transparency: the district posted consultant reports and daily updates to the Garden Elementary web page and promised further sampling results once remediation is finished.