Riverside Local staff present plans, timetable and budget framework for Buckeye Elementary addition

At a Buildings & Grounds meeting, Riverside Local staff and the project presenter reviewed detailed drawings and material samples for an addition to Buckeye Elementary, describing an eight‑classroom single‑story addition with two small group rooms, a gym with stage, a lobby/meeting room and associated mechanical and site work.

The presentation outlined how the addition would connect to the existing school, the material palette (a darker brick to match existing lower walls and lighter masonry above), interior finishes (rubber flooring in the lobby, LVT in classrooms, carpet inserts), and building systems: a chiller that will be installed to serve the project and an initial boiler for the new section with a second boiler to be added when the remainder of the building is renovated.

Why it matters: the project will expand classroom capacity and update mechanical systems for Buckeye Elementary while the district weighs tradeoffs between phasing, cost and disruption to school operations. District staff said they aim to have a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) from the contractor by early October and intend to stage work so the addition can be in use for the next school year.

Scope and design The presented plans call for eight new classrooms plus two small group rooms (for intervention specialists), a gym sized comparable to the district’s Riverview gym, a stage with ramp access and a meeting/green room adjacent to the stage. The lobby is sized and detailed to be lockable from the rest of the building so evening community events can be accommodated without opening classroom wings.

On finishes, the presenter said the team is proposing rubber tile in the lobby that can be color‑toned to match district palettes and a plank LVT in classroom perimeters; carpet tile patterns similar to Riverview are proposed for learning zones. Exterior work would use a darker brick at lower elevations to match the existing building and lighter masonry banding above to reduce perceived mass.

Mechanical and utilities Project presenters described the mechanical philosophy: the addition will receive a chiller and a boiler sized to operate the new portion independently. "The chiller will be set up so that it runs the entire building, essentially," the presenter said, and a second boiler would be installed later when the district completes renovation of the original building so the two boilers will operate together and provide redundancy.

Presenters noted some systems are long‑lead items and said they will track delivery timelines for the chiller and boiler during preconstruction. The team also explained classroom HVAC will use ceiling‑mounted fan units (fan/coil style) above the ceilings rather than wall‑mounted unit ventilators.

Roof and alternates The presenter recommended bidding an alternate for a roof overlay (an overlay cover board and single‑ply membrane) because an overlay costs substantially less than a full tear‑off while offering similar short‑term warranties; they warned overlays can be less visually tidy in some locations. The team said the gym roof section is likely the best candidate for an early overlay and recommended getting pricing for that alternate.

Site, playground and parking The site plan retains existing playground swings and places other play elements away from swings for safety. The design keeps much of existing drainage and positions a fenced detention basin. The team described a drop‑off/turnaround area, a gravel staging area for snow storage, and estimated additional parking in the new plan at roughly 48–50 spaces.

The presentation raised a potential alternate for a decorative brick paver band in a courtyard versus a poured concrete strip; district staff discussed options to temporarily fill the band with compacted screenings until a paver solution could be implemented. The presenter said they will return costing information and recommended the paver option be priced as a change order/alternate.

Technology, security and furnishings Plans call for interactive displays at classroom front walls (a 75‑inch monitor in typical rooms, interactive units in kindergarten/pre‑K rooms), speakers and AV control at teacher stations, wireless access points (including outdoor coverage), and exterior cameras focused on public areas. The team said owner/technology procurement practices will determine whether monitors are owner‑provided or contractor‑supplied.

Timeline, procurement and budget Presenters said architectural, mechanical and electrical drawings would be wrapped up during the week of the meeting, while the site/civil drawings were expected in roughly two to three weeks. The District’s preconstruction manager and the construction manager at risk are already under contract for preconstruction; the team is targeting a GMP in early October and said preconstruction pricing will support the fall bidding process.

"We're potentially gonna have a GMP sometime in that towards the October third," the presenter said.

The district discussed borrowing to cover the full program for Buckeye, Melridge and other work and cited a borrowing target of about $12.5–$13 million for the combined program; staff noted the district’s annual payment model was built around roughly $825,000 per year. The presenter and staff discussed using that borrowing to cover phase 1 (the addition) and to fund a phase 2 renovation of the existing Buckeye building and other sites as funds remain.

Construction sequencing and winter protection The team discussed options for starting site work in the fall and pausing for winter versus completing continuous work through winter; both options carry cost tradeoffs. Presenters recommended planning for winter protection if work proceeds into colder months (insulation, weather protection, possible concrete additives) and flagged that some footings and long‑lead MEP equipment might dictate the schedule.

Next steps and outstanding items The team listed several near‑term tasks: get civil drawings and utility verifications (electric, gas, water), obtain pricing on the roof overlay and paver alternate, verify long‑lead equipment delivery windows, finalize finish selections and coordinate classroom furniture and AV decisions with administration so procurement matches final room assignments. The presenter said the group will continue permitting and preconstruction coordination and will return cost updates and a formal GMP for the board to review.

Ending District staff and the project team said they will present updated pricing and a recommended GMP to the board after preconstruction pricing and civil drawings are complete, and they emphasized phasing decisions will depend on how much of the planned $12.5–$13 million borrowing remains after the GMP is set.