Pacific Grove Unified oversight committee hears Measure D facilities update, summer project plan

Pacific Grove Unified School District staff updated the district’s Citizens Oversight Committee on Measure D facilities work and a facilities master plan during the committee’s May 24, 2025 meeting.

The presentation summarized completed work, postponed items and projects planned for summer 2025, and explained how the district uses a small‑projects procurement list and larger public bidding to move Measure D work forward.

Director John Anderson said the district finished “a little over $7,000,000 worth of work” last year and that items shown in green on the committee slide are complete. He described the district’s use of a local qualified‑bidders list (referred to in the presentation as Kupka) for projects under $200,000 and standard public bidding for larger contracts. “Kupka … is basically a bidding process to develop a list of bidders for small projects that’s $200,000 and less,” Anderson said.

Anderson said some projects were postponed to coordinate work: a roof at Robert Down was delayed so new rooftop HVAC units could be installed before re‑roofing. He reported the long‑running fire alarm upgrade at Robert Down has an approved set of plans from the Division of State Architects, received “last Thursday,” and said that upgrade will go out to bid promptly. He also said a generator planned for Pacific Grove Middle School is intended to power servers so online learning can continue during outages.

The presentation named ABM Group as the vendor for several energy‑management projects, including work at Forest Grove described as energy upgrades and furnace replacement. Anderson characterized the work at Forest Grove as energy‑efficiency retrofits and cited the Forest Grove ABM line item (shown in the presentation) at about $2,300,000. He said energy work and other projects completed last year contributed to the district’s overall total.

For summer 2025, Anderson listed planned work that includes playground and swing‑set replacements at Robert Down and Forest Grove, restroom repairs at the middle school, additional building‑envelope projects at Pacific Grove High School, roof work on middle‑school buildings, removal of an older modular at Robert Down, replacement of a dated boiler on the A wing at the high school, and parking lot resurfacing at the adult school. He said Building F at the adult school is “in very poor condition” and the district plans to remove it to make room for future development.

Committee members asked technical and procurement questions during the presentation: one member asked what “ABM” does; Anderson answered it is an energy‑management contractor. Another asked whether recent bids have come in under estimates; Anderson said last year many bids were under estimate but this year “the trend is a little different” and early bids are slightly over recent estimates.

The facilities master plan contractor, MGT Group, has completed community input and site profiles, Anderson said, and the district expects the final master plan in May. The presentation and accompanying materials will be posted on the district website, Anderson added.

The committee did not take a formal vote on any Measure D items during the meeting; the presentation was an informational update.

Next steps listed in the presentation include issuing bids for approved plans, finishing outstanding ABM work once rooftop HVAC and electrical upgrades are complete, and posting the facilities master plan when the contractor delivers the final document.