South Euclid-Lyndhurst previews facilities audit, to seek operating and PI levies for November ballot

Superintendent Capel told the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Board of Education on April 15 that the district will present a full facilities master plan in May and is preparing resolutions to place an operating levy and a permanent-improvement (P.I.) levy on the November ballot.

The measures are being timed around an August 5 filing deadline the administration cited as the reason for bringing a preliminary discussion to the board now. "In May, at the board meeting, you're gonna get a full overview on what phases look like, on what dollar amounts look like," Capel said during the meeting.

The district shared high-level results of a facilities audit produced with engineering firm AMERESCO, which performed the work at no charge because it previously handled the district's air-conditioning project. A district presenter said AMERESCO had “60% of it already complete” from that prior engineering work, reducing the incremental cost of the audit. The presenter said outside engineering work like this typically costs between $30,000 and $75,000.

The audit assigned letter grades to each building. The presenter reported: Adrian A‑; SunView B; Roland C‑ (noting multiple boiler plants and an older addition); Greenview C; Memorial D+ (including work behind walls); and Brush D‑. Taken together, the presenter said, the district's average grade is roughly a C. "What we really want to do is get some of these issues before they get really expensive to fix," the presenter said.

The superintendent and staff said the master plan will include phased repairs and estimated costs, and will identify priorities such as roofing, mechanical systems and the performing arts center (PAC). Capel also noted the district is examining the Southland building for expanded preschool space to respond to post‑COVID demand growth for early childhood programs.

On the levy plan, Capel said the district intends to run both an operating levy and the P.I. levy together in November. He noted the district's last levy was in 2020 and described the desire to stay in a roughly five‑to‑seven‑year operating levy cycle. The administration did not present a final dollar amount at the April meeting; Capel said detailed levy materials will be part of the May facilities master plan presentation. The presenter repeated the administrative timeline tied to the August 5 deadline for placing measures on the November ballot.

Board members asked for details about how much of the air‑conditioning project is complete and whether remaining savings could be applied to the audit findings; staff said the air‑conditioning work is essentially complete and that some project savings remain to be allocated to pressing needs.

The superintendent scheduled the full facilities master plan — including phased cost estimates, roofing needs and other specifics — for the board's May meeting.

Ending: The board did not take any levy votes at the April meeting; members were told formal resolutions and the full facilities master‑plan package will be presented in May for action ahead of the August 5 filing deadline.