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TUSD staff report nearly $4 million increase in renovation costs for proposed administration building; board tables decision
Summary
Staff presented revised cost estimates for renovating and relocating the district administration to 220 West Sixth Street. The board asked for further review and tabled formal approval to return with refined numbers and alternatives.
Tucson Unified School District staff told the governing board on Jan. 20 that renovation and code-compliance work for a proposed administration building at 220 West Sixth Street has grown substantially after a detailed inspection, and the board asked staff to return with a more limited proposal.
District staff summarized prior estimates and new findings after contractors and architects conducted on-site reviews. The district had previously proposed purchasing the 220 building for about $11.6 million and set aside approximately $3.3 million for building improvements. Staff reported they had spent roughly $1 million of the originally proposed $16.2 million package for due diligence and opening escrow, including a $100,000 deposit.
After the detailed assessment, staff said the building-improvement estimate rose from an original $3.3 million to a revised $6.6 million before contingency, with a 10% contingency bringing the total to roughly $7.3 million — an increase of about $3.9 million compared with the earlier line-item estimate. The increases were driven primarily by code- and ADA-compliance work identified during the walkthroughs, necessary mechanical repairs and replacement of a chiller unit that had already been procured for the site. Staff said the chiller cost about $622,000 and that technology and network relocation costs had also increased (technology estimate revised from about $326,000 to about $770,000).
District staff framed the transaction as a trade: proceeds from selling the existing administration complex at 10:10 (the Moro Center) would fund the purchase and renovations at 220 West Sixth Street and avoid a larger multi‑year capital investment at the existing site. Several board members expressed concern about the size of the cost increase and the public perception of the project; one board member called the revised estimate a “hard pill to swallow.”
After discussion the board voted to table the item and asked the administration to take another review — to pursue additional cost refinement, seek a second professional opinion and return with a narrower, lower-cost proposal. The superintendent said staff would attempt to reduce the estimate and asked for time to bring the item back to an upcoming meeting, with board members suggesting early February as a target for revised figures.
No contracts were approved at the meeting; staff continued due diligence and escrow remained open.
