District staff report East Blos construction schedule; multiple schools on track for August openings

District operations staff updated the Savannah‑Chatham County Board of Education on the East Blos capital program and related projects, reporting that a large set of new and renovated facilities is scheduled for completion in time for the upcoming school year.

Why it matters: The East Blos program and related capital work affect classroom assignments, furniture and technology moves, athletics scheduling, and site infrastructure for multiple schools. Staff said the district is coordinating movers, furniture/fixture deliveries and technology installations to meet an Aug. 1 occupancy goal for several large projects.

Scope and schedule highlights: Staff said roughly 650,000 square feet of new or renovated space (new schools and remodeled schools) must be ready for the August school start. Major items described include:

- Windsor Forest High School: interior finishing on schedule; site work (parking and exterior) remains to be completed.

- Bloomingdale Elementary: interior finishes underway; facility expected ready for Aug. 1.

- DEH athletic fields: track and football stadium work progressing with artificial multipurpose turf and a ready baseball field (certificate of occupancy obtained for the baseball field); site work delayed earlier by poor weather but contractor reported progress.

- Henderson early learning center: major interior renovation, floors and ceilings replaced, FF&E scheduled.

- Georgetown renovation: replacement of an elementary‑sized gym with a middle‑school gymnasium and other major renovations; swing school operations planned with Largo‑Tibet used as a receiving school during work.

- Hubert: interior renovations, HVAC and window replacements being designed; project may require two summers to complete and athletic field work is constrained by site limitations.

- Alternate education center (old Mercer School): design finalized; program includes Building Bridges High, Building Bridges Middle, WINGS program, shared gym, cafeteria and library space; target to be construction‑ready for 2026.

- Islands High School: athletic facility expansion and press box design advancing toward bid readiness in late spring/early summer; phased construction planned to preserve field use during events.

Other work: roofing projects (including Johnson High metal roof), emergency generator installations, gym floor replacement at Savannah Arts (out for pricing), netting packages for athletic fields, records management and print shop work at Port Wentworth, and multiple HVAC upgrades.

Board questions and comments: Board members requested clearer program schedules in a readable PDF (staff agreed to provide). One member asked staff to explore options for donating reusable furniture from school moves rather than disposal; staff said salvage and reuse are being reviewed and previous site sales had been used to repurpose items.

Ending: Staff said overall East Blos 3 and East Blos 4 projects are on budget and that cash flows and proceeds have been timed to match expenditures; specific bid schedules for upcoming projects were to be released in the coming weeks.