Board approves long-term facilities maintenance plan; roofing, pool projects listed and middle-school media center delayed

The Big Lake Public School District board approved its fiscal-year LTFM (long-term facilities maintenance) plan and budget and passed related resolutions to establish locations and procedures for a special election tied to district ballot questions.

District staff said the LTFM plan is an annual submission required for LTFM funding eligibility with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). The plan presented to the board lists typical health-and-safety work, deferred maintenance and site work already completed. Staff said the plan includes a $1,300,000 pay‑as‑you‑go pool project and a projected $2,440,000 roofing project; staff cautioned the roofing amount could change depending on prioritization and availability of other projects.

Board discussion noted three specific roofing areas across multiple buildings, including sections of Independence (1974 and 1987 portions), portions of the middle school and parts of the high school gym roof where a leak could damage the gym wood floor. Staff said some roofs replaced previously used thinner materials and the district is moving toward longer-life built-up roofs.

The board also discussed construction performance problems on the middle-school media center renovation. Staff reported the prime contractor has fallen behind schedule and missed deliverables, causing a likely delay to the media center’s availability at the start of the school year. The district said it is working with the contractor and the performance bond and may pursue bond remedies if necessary; staff said that pursuing a claim against the performance bond could hinder the contractor’s ability to secure future public work but could be warranted based on current performance.

A board member said the decision to pause some special-education area work and reissue a smaller bid could allow newer contractors to bid and reduce future performance risk. Staff said the district has roughly $300,000–$400,000 available for special-education space renovations from budgeted and contingency funds.

The board voted by roll call to approve the LTFM plan and related resolutions; the meeting record shows motions and roll-call action and indicates the motions passed. The board also approved the consent agenda, which included claims and accounts totaling $1,724,743.08, the credit card report and personnel and policy items.

The meeting included administrative items about scheduling (work sessions and a proposed November date to allow canvassing of votes) and a brief mention of a draft partnership with a food-shelf organization; staff said the food-shelf partnership draft was under legal review and is not finalized.

Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (claims and accounts): $1,724,743.08 — approved by motion (consent). - LTFM plan and budget (FY2027 LTFM resolution): motion made and approved by roll call. - Resolution to authorize initial special election (ballot questions and language): motion made and approved by roll call. - Resolution establishing voting/absentee location for the special election: motion made and approved by roll call.

The board did not record specific roll-call tallies for all votes in the transcript excerpt provided; meeting remarks show multiple board members voting “aye” during roll calls and the clerk announcing the motions passed.