Elkhorn Area School District committee seeks full-board approval to fund urgent facilities repairs from reserves

The Elkhorn Area School District Buildings and Grounds Committee discussed a package of urgent, one‑time maintenance projects and agreed to ask staff to present bids and a funding proposal to the full school board for approval to use fund balance or reserves.

The committee prioritized the auditorium HVAC, the pool's Dectron cooling system, a dehumidifier for the high‑school copy room, public address (PA) system repairs, backup generators at Tibbetts and Westside, asphalt playground repairs and an accelerated roof‑replacement plan. Committee members emphasized safety, summer scheduling for contractors and the district’s cash‑flow cycle when deciding how to pay for the work.

Why it matters: several items are critical to facility operation and safety (emergency alerts run over PA systems, the pool requires humidity control to meet water‑temperature rules, and some buildings lack backup power for servers or sewer/water). Several repairs will require work during summer months and could force service interruptions if not addressed before heavy use seasons.

Auditorium HVAC: staff said the auditorium’s unit is “on borrowed time.” Nick (facilities staff) told the committee that if the unit fails, “If this auditorium HVAC system goes down, there's no air or heat in the auditorium period,” and that parts have a six‑week lead time. Nick described the recommended work as replacing or rebuilding blowers and associated ducts and fan components rather than replacing the whole rooftop unit.

Pool cooling and refrigerant: the pool’s Dectron unit dates to the mid‑1990s and has chronic issues. Staff said the system is low on R‑22 refrigerant—about 40 pounds short of the full charge—and that R‑22 is no longer manufactured. Nick gave a per‑pound estimate for R‑22 of roughly $353, and staff estimated about $15,000 to refill the current charge if the system is retained. Committee members said a full replacement could be substantially more; staff gave ballpark figures in the meeting (staff noted estimates in the low‑to‑mid hundreds of thousands of dollars and said they would obtain firm bids).

Copy‑room dehumidifier and printing operations: the high‑school centralized print area has persistent humidity that damages paper and equipment. Staff presented a vendor quote of about $10,000 to install a dedicated dehumidifier in the copy room to route moisture outdoors; staff said leasing vendors have warned the district that ongoing humidity will void some warranties and increase repair costs.

PA systems and emergency alerting: several PA systems across district buildings are aging and at risk. Staff said one wave box used for emergency alerts has reached end‑of‑life and that replacing that unit would cost about $9,200; staff also warned that the district’s wave emergency button relies on the PA infrastructure to broadcast an alert, increasing the priority to fix or replace failing PA components.

Backup generators: Tibbetts and Westside currently lack backup generators to keep servers, food‑service refrigeration and (at Tibbetts) sewer/well systems operating during outages. Staff described repeated short outages—sometimes caused by animals on lines—that have required school cancellations when water or critical systems failed. The committee discussed installing generators sized to run critical systems (not necessarily full building loads), with Tibbetts singled out because it lacks water service during outages.

Playground asphalt and site drainage: several elementary playground surfaces are deteriorating. Tibbetts’s parking lot and asphalt runoff were described as poorly graded and washing away subbase material; staff recommended engineering work before paving and noted asphalt plants close for winter, so timing is a factor.

Roofs and capital planning: staff reviewed a roofing study done about 18 months earlier showing multiple roof sections beyond their expected 20–30 year life. Staff said the district currently budgets roughly $500,000 a year for maintenance and suggested a catch‑up plan closer to $800,000 annually for several years to avoid escalating repair costs. Staff noted $220,000 is already budgeted to replace two roof sections at Jackson next June and asked whether the board prefers using reserves, a State Trust Fund loan (staff said the trust fund loan can be used up to $1 million and referenced an approximate 4% rate), or a future capital referendum (staff said they do not recommend proposing a new referendum until at least two of three current referendums are paid off, which staff estimated could occur in about three to four years if current extra payments are maintained).

Funding and cash‑flow considerations: staff reported a fund balance of roughly 28 percent and reminded the committee that district cash flow hits a low point in November, which affects short‑term borrowing needs. Committee members aired tradeoffs between drawing down reserves for one‑time repairs, taking a State Trust Fund loan, or waiting for a larger capital referendum; one ad‑hoc committee previously suggested a lower fund‑balance target of 15 percent, a recommendation some committee members opposed because it could increase short‑term borrowing costs.

Decisions and next steps: the Buildings and Grounds Committee asked staff to: obtain firm bids and an accelerated roofing schedule; perform engineering as needed (notably for Tibbetts parking/runoff); and prepare a buildings‑and‑grounds agenda item for the next full board meeting recommending approval to expend reserves for the one‑time projects. Staff said they would obtain exact replacement bids for the pool Dectron and other large items and that, if the committee gave a green light for the auditorium HVAC, they would sign contracts and order parts immediately to avoid a winter failure.

The committee did not take a formal vote during the meeting but reached a consensus to present the recommended package and funding options to the full board and to proceed with bidding and engineering work so contractors can be scheduled for summer construction.

Credits: committee discussion and staff presentations were recorded in the Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting transcript.