Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Measure C funds drive campus upgrades; district negotiating city lease to control Benicia High fields
Summary
Superintendent Damon Wright outlined Measure C–funded capital projects including reroofs, HVAC work, new TK classroom, playground upgrades and a proposed turf field and six-lane track if the district can end a 1986 joint lease with the city of Benicia.
Benicia Unified School District officials said projects funded by Measure C — the facilities bond voters approved in March 2024 — are underway and include a mix of visible campus modernizations and behind-the-scenes infrastructure work.
Superintendent Damon Wright said Measure C passed with a 62.46% margin in March 2024 and that the district has begun work on safety and facilities upgrades across sites. Examples he cited include reroofing the district office and the NPR building at Joe Henderson, HVAC improvements at Robert Semple and Liberty, playground shade structures at Mary Farmer, elevator upgrades at Benicia High School and new technology and server upgrades at the district office.
Wright said several elementary projects are planned: at Joe Henderson a new transitional-kindergarten classroom and playground renovations; at Robert Semple campus modernization and a new parking lot; at Turner a new marquee and shade structure; and a major modernization at Mary Farmer that would replace portable classrooms with permanent buildings and add an ADA lift for the stage.
Field and track plan Wright said Benicia High School will receive a performing-arts renovation supported with matching Career Technical Education grants. He also described plans to build a turf field and a six-lane all-weather track and to upgrade other baseball and softball fields with turf and lights to protect Title IX compliance as portable buildings are replaced. The turf-and-track plan depends on terminating the remaining years of a 99-year joint-lease agreement the district signed with the City of Benicia in 1986, under which the city is currently responsible for field maintenance. Wright said the district is negotiating with the city to terminate the lease so the district could modernize the fields and expand community access.
Why it matters: Measure C is the capital funding source for these projects; changes to the joint-lease status would shift maintenance responsibility and enable district-controlled improvements that district leaders say would serve both students and the broader community.
Wright noted that some current fields suffer from safety and maintenance problems — including gopher holes, uneven surfaces and geese droppings — and that district planners envision upgraded practice facilities, turf surfaces, lighting and a replacement track to increase available field space for schools and community users.
Ending: District leaders framed the work as phase one of long-term improvements funded by Measure C. Wright encouraged community stewardship of upgraded facilities to prevent vandalism and ensure long-term benefits for students and residents.
