District construction projects progress; $4 million set aside for football stadium work

Dustin (construction presenter) told the Canyon City Schools board on Jan. 27 that the district is about 16 months into a group of construction projects and that work is proceeding on the high school, McKinley, Lincoln and an exploratory school.

"Things are going extremely well," Dustin said at the meeting. He described the high school project as about 90% through veil erection and approaching joist-and-deck work, with a major "pop top" renovation of the commons planned later in the schedule. He cautioned the renovation year would be operationally “rough” for the school but would add significant public space once completed.

Nut graf: The presentation provided both schedule updates and a fiscal picture: project teams reported healthy contingencies across projects, used some contractor-held contingency items for subsurface surprises, and identified potential additional scope if risk eases.

Construction staff noted one unanticipated design interpretation that increased scope and cost: a basement space that some parties had expected to be a crawl space now needs sprinkling and deeper work. Dustin said that is why the project retained contingency. He also said unused general contractor contingency returns to the district when unspent.

The district reported allowing $4 million in unallocated funds for a football-stadium package that would include concessions, storage, integrated restrooms and a plaza; design and permitting would run through the end of the calendar year with work starting in early 2026. "We've been really fortunate. You guys went at this at the right time. The interest has done extremely well. Everything's going in our favor," Dustin said when describing the district's current financial position relative to construction.

Other updates included: McKinley precast panel erection under way and an August 2025 completion target; Lincoln panels and joists in fabrication with an August finish goal but modest schedule risk; and the exploratory project, which will start construction in June, came in under budget, allowing the district to release some additional scope (parking and library remodels).

Board members and presenters discussed potential additional scope items — improved parking lots, playground surfaces, scoreboard, Boise back upgrades and possible artificial turf — and the district’s conservative approach to releasing contingency. Dustin said roughly 8–10% overall program contingency remains in place, with the general contractors also holding contractor-level contingencies for items such as rock encountered in excavations.

Ending: Trustees praised the project teams and asked to be kept updated on schedule risks that could affect opening-day readiness. Construction staff said they will continue to report to the board and to the executive project committee every six weeks.