Douglas Unified board approves change orders, authorizes reallocation to continue Douglas High construction

The Douglas Unified School District governing board voted unanimously to approve a resolution allowing change orders and authorization to move remaining project funds into existing purchase orders for Douglas High School construction, board members said.

Board members approved the measure after hearing from Mr. Soto, the district’s chief financial and operations officer, who told the board the state School Facilities Board requires the district to encumber project funds by June 30 to preserve reimbursement eligibility. “The School Facilities Board gave us up to June 30 to encumber everything,” Mr. Soto said. “What that means is we need to have everything in place in order for us to continue getting the reimbursement.”

The resolution covers additional work identified for the high school and authorizes transferring funds into purchase orders already established with Adelson and Peterson (the construction contractor) and with Sketch Architecture (the architect). The district’s attorney reviewed the scope and the request for a resolution authorizing the change orders and was on standby during the meeting in case the board sought an executive session for legal questions.

Board members asked for clarification about timing and cost. Board member Lindeman asked whether the work would be completed before the school year and raised concerns about schedules interfering with classes. The district responded that priorities will include exterior fencing and that contractors have historically scheduled work around school hours, including weekend work, to limit disruption.

Board members also queried discrepancies among figures in the meeting materials. The packet listed a contractor change order projection of just over $1,020,000 from Adelson and Peterson; an architect line in background materials showed an assumed $2.4 million figure tied to earlier furniture and equipment allowances; and district presenters said roughly $1.2 million to $1.3 million remains in available project funding to allocate. District staff said earlier equipment purchases reduced the amount available under the architect’s prior assumptions and that the requested transfer would provide a cushion on the Adelson and Peterson purchase order to cover fluctuating prices or additional necessary work.

The board approved the resolution by roll call. The vote recorded “yes” from the members called during roll call: Smith; Celcio; Linderman; Ramos; and Buray.

The district will proceed to meet with the architect to finalize the remaining scope and schedule work around student hours and anticipated seasonal delays.

The resolution authorizes district staff to move remaining awarded funds into the specified purchase orders and approve the change orders described in the board materials; the attorney confirmed the additional work falls within the original contract scope as reviewed.

The board did not amend the resolution during the meeting and took no separate vote beyond the roll call approving the resolution.