Wallingford‑Swarthmore staff report completed repairs, elevator controller failure and steps toward 10‑year capital plan

On Jan. 15, 2025, Wallingford‑Swarthmore School District facilities staff reviewed completed 2024 work, ongoing repairs and a timeline for developing a 10‑year capital plan, telling the board’s committees that some systems need immediate fixes while staff prepare a formal capital‑planning and community‑engagement schedule.

District facilities staff described a set of projects they said were finished in 2024: a priority retro‑commissioning package focused on SRS and the middle school that staff described as a $1,500,000 project performed with CM3; batting cages and the NP roof were reported as “100% complete;” and kitchen and food‑service equipment replacements of about $300,000 (dishwashers, refrigerators and walk‑in coolers) were noted. “The batting cages are 100% complete,” a facilities staff member summarized during the meeting.

Why it matters: the district told the committees that many of the items are intended to reduce deferred maintenance and operating costs, and that near‑term accessibility and safety issues — notably an elevator outage at SRS and more than 100 sprinkler heads identified as needing replacement — require both immediate repairs and longer‑term planning.

Key in‑progress and upcoming work - HVAC and building systems: staff said the middle school IDF HVAC replacement was about 60% complete and that ductwork installation is finished. Boiler work at SRS and compressor replacements (including a freezer compressor at West) were described as recently completed. - Sprinkler heads: staff reported they must replace every sprinkler head in the high school; the project could affect hard ceilings and require selective ceiling access. Staff said the total number of affected heads exceeds 100 and that they are evaluating the most financially feasible repair approach. - Field work and irrigation: staff said they are seeking pricing for irrigation at the middle and high school athletic fields and that, based on early estimates, irrigating the field hockey field, baseball and soccer areas might be achievable for under $100,000, pending bids. - Concession stand and ADA work: the interior concession flooring and an ADA elevation between bathrooms and field level at NPE were listed as priorities; staff plan to procure an engineer to finalize scope and cost.

Elevator controller failure, stair lift option Facilities staff described an SRS elevator controller that was sent to a vendor for repair but returned without its software; the controller’s age and software compatibility prevented reinstalling current code. Staff said the district plans two parallel approaches: pursue a new elevator controller/modernization (which staff said could take a longer lead time) and, as a contingency, install a stair‑lift/chairlift in the inner stairwell. The stair‑lift vendor has been engaged and staff said expedited installation could be measured in weeks rather than months; the district said the vendor quoted an installation price but the transcript wording of that number was unclear.

Dugouts, fundraising and other site work Board members asked about a roughly $10,000 fundraising contribution previously raised for dugout outfitting. Facilities staff said athletic department fundraising and booster purchases have supplied some equipment (benches, racks) and that operations staff will try to trace whether donated funds were transferred or spent; staff committed to follow up with finance to provide a clear accounting.

Capital plan timeline and community engagement District staff described a multi‑phase approach to producing a 10‑year capital plan: update demography and enrollment studies, complete feasibility and retrofit reports (CM3 and architects), select a project manager, hold community meetings (staff suggested a March community meeting and a March 19 facilities/finance‑committee update), and present a recommended plan to the board in April or May. Staff said the district already has earlier commissioning and feasibility work to leverage and plans to centralize documents (reports, presentations, minutes) on the district website as the plan proceeds.

Procurement and next steps Staff reported they are preparing RFPs for sealcoating and expect to submit pricing on multiple projects. They also said bus camera installations are underway (vendor installing roughly four buses per night). Staff asked the board to consider hiring or assigning a dedicated project manager to act as an internal advocate and to coordinate architects, feasibility studies and community communication.

What was not decided No formal board vote on the capital plan was recorded at this meeting. Staff presented options and timetables and said they will return with updated demographic data, refined scope and cost estimates, and a proposed project‑management contract for board action.

The district expects to bring more detailed funding and timing information to the facilities committee in February and to the full board later in spring.