District outlines construction-management RFP, summer facilities work and deferred-maintenance spending

The Wallingford-Swarthmore School District’s facilities committee received updates Aug. 19 on a construction-management request for proposals, a list of summer projects across district schools and the use of deferred-maintenance funds from the 2024–25 budget.

District staff said the construction-management RFP was released June 16, with vendor questions due July 28 and answers posted online. “We received 4 questions, and 4 answers were posted on the web. The RFP responses are due August 22 at 3PM,” facilities presenter Bob said. The committee was told shortlisted firms will give presentations and a firm is expected to be selected for board approval at the Sept. 29 board meeting, with a tentative project kickoff meeting on Oct. 7.

Committee members were shown photos and progress reports from summer work at multiple schools, including gym-floor refinishing at the high school and middle school; a new guidance office; installation of a retaining wall and new drains at the stadium area; concession-stand repairs including roll-up doors and epoxy floors; pool tile and pump motor work; and HVAC preventive maintenance. Bob said some items remain pending: custom handrails at the concession stand and parts for several playground and roof air-unit repairs.

Nut graf: The committee’s briefing combined near-term contract planning that could shape a large upcoming renovation with a summary of routine and catch-up maintenance paid from the district’s deferred-maintenance allocation, giving the board a sense of immediate construction needs and available funds.

On deferred maintenance, staff reported the district was allotted $1,200,000 in the 2024–25 budget and had spent $348,442 in the fiscal year. Several planned items moved into 2025–26, including a seal-coating job (quoted at $144,000) and a larger CM3 (preventive-maintenance) project for high-school HVAC controls. Staff said they elected to buy new equipment rather than spend about $700,000 to update existing unit controls. The district plans PM work on three cooling towers and chillers (combined cited amounts of $45,000 and $18,000), pool equipment PM estimated at $10,000, and a middle-school gym-floor full sanding and repainting estimated at $35,000. Staff told the committee these planned expenditures, plus an allowance for bid packaging on the concession area and other items, would increase the district’s 2024–25 deferred-maintenance plan to roughly $798,000, leaving an approximate $400,000 contingency for unexpected items.

Staff also described an operating-cost change for safety floor mats: the district previously rented mats at about $33,000 per year but can buy equivalent mats for about $9,000, yielding an annual net savings of about $24,000 and a second-year net benefit of roughly $33,000 when avoidance of further rental costs is included.

The committee heard an update on Henderson Field in Swarthmore Borough, where a municipal stormwater project—intended to add storm inlets behind nearby homes—will require an intermunicipal agreement. Staff said district and borough solicitors have negotiated terms and the agreement must be signed at the next full-board meeting before the borough’s contractor can start; district youth soccer (SRA) has been notified that field access will be restricted while the work continues.

Committee members asked about scheduling and vendor selection for the construction-management and architect procurements, and staff explained the district will use a scoring/weighting process to evaluate proposals (price and experience among the criteria) and that construction-management procurement rules differ from construction contracts (construction work is awarded to the lowest responsive bidder, staff said).

The committee approved the June 11 facility meeting minutes by motion and second (mover and seconder not specified in the record).

Looking ahead, staff said the board will discuss a large-scale high-school renovation in 2025, further CM3 preventive-maintenance findings, 2025–26 budgeting and additional ADA safety projects that may affect visitor-side access at Kingfield and other sites.