District seeks to scale back Desert Valley cooling‑tower proposal; moves forward on renting three houses

Superintendent Dr. Stewart told the Bullhead City School Board on June 10 that the State Facilities Board submitted an overly engineered cooling‑tower proposal for Desert Valley that carried an estimated cost around $6 million.

"It is way over engineered, and estimated cost would be around $6,000,000," Dr. Stewart said. She said she has been in repeated discussions with Callie Tyler of the State Facilities Board and that staff are asking the state to pare the proposal back to the district’s original request so the district can begin replacing units in Desert Valley’s main building before school starts.

Dr. Stewart said a follow‑up conversation with State Facilities Board staff is scheduled in two weeks to pursue a reduced scope and move the project toward partial implementation this summer.

Separately, the board was briefed on plans to rent three district houses. District business‑office staff recommended managing the properties in‑house given the small number of houses. The board approved administrative changes to rental rules, including initially prohibiting pets and requiring renters to initial responsibilities on lease materials. The superintendent said realtors and community partners have already donated more than $8,000 toward landscaping for the properties.

Board members did not take further formal budget action on the Desert Valley project at the meeting; staff said negotiations with the State Facilities Board are ongoing.