Bridgeport board approves $1.26 million in capital contracts and schedules facilities forums

The Bridgeport Board of Education on Tuesday approved six capital contracts totaling about $1.26 million for school HVAC work, two elevator replacements, two playground projects and ceiling‑tile repairs.

The contracts — which district staff said are city capital projects already approved by the mayor and city council — were presented by facilities staff and approved after brief board discussion. Jamie, a facilities presenter, said the Fairchild Wheeler HVAC work responds to repeated leaks: "We have about 400 coils or some call them pipes that, occasionally or frequently now are leaking," Jamie said, describing a plan to replace 200 coils at roughly $2,000 each for a $200,000 contract with McKinney Mechanical.

Facilities staff also described the larger facilities master plan compiled from a facilities condition assessment and a demographic study. "This is the data that we really need to start making informed decisions for this district," Mr. Garcia said, summarizing the purpose of the master plan and noting that district staff will present recommendations to the board after community input.

District staff said the projects are capital‑funded and that contract prices include bond costs where applicable. Several contracts were awarded through cooperative purchasing agreements or existing city contracts: the JFK and Dunbar elevator replacements will be done by KONE through an Omnia cooperative purchase; playground projects use a cooperative vendor the city and district have used previously; the Marin ceiling‑tile project was procured through the city's OpenGov bidding portal and a mandatory walkthrough.

Board members asked whether state HVAC incentive programs applied; facilities staff said these projects do not currently use Energize Connecticut incentives and that the district has previously sought other state HVAC grant rounds but that a third round is not currently available.

The district said it will present the facilities master‑plan recommendations to the board after committee review and community forums. Facilities staff gave the following forum dates for initial public rollout: March 31 and April 2–3, with a follow‑up report to the full board in early April.

Votes at a glance

- Fairchild Wheeler HVAC replacement (McKinney Mechanical), ~$200,000 — Motion to approve made on the floor; mover: Mr. Sikalovic; second: Mr. Medina; outcome: approved. - JFK administrative building elevator replacement (KONE via Omnia cooperative), $301,800 — Motion to approve presented and approved; outcome: approved. - Dunbar School elevator replacement (KONE via Omnia cooperative), $339,022 — Motion to approve made by Mr. Medina and seconded by Mr. Sikalovic; outcome: approved. - Discovery School outdoor educational classroom/playground (vendor on cooperative), $84,358 — Motion to approve made on the floor; outcome: approved. - JFK campus playground addition and safety surfacing, $237,741 — Motion to approve made on the floor; outcome: approved. - Marin School ceiling tile replacement (Megillah Construction), $98,690 — Bid process via OpenGov; motion to approve made and approved.

The board’s facilities staff said the district has completed a systemwide HVAC audit and a facilities condition assessment that identify longer‑term needs; staff indicated the $200,000 Fairchild Wheeler purchase order will be used to address emergencies as well as planned replacements and that a multi‑year capital request would be used to fully address the building’s needs over several years.

Ending

Facilities staff said completed projects will be documented and shared with the board and community after work is finished. Mr. Garcia and the district said the facilities master‑plan report and community input will inform future capital requests and any recommendations the board may choose to send to the city or pursue with state grant funding.