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Board approves phase 1 of Casa Grande capital master plan; consultants recommend replacing COIL campus
Summary
The Casa Grande board approved the phase 1 report of a 10-year capital master plan prepared with Orcutt | Winslow, which recommends several campus renovations and identifies the COIL campus as a top candidate for replacement to support program scalability and capacity needs.
The Casa Grande Elementary School District Governing Board approved the phase 1 report of a 10-year capital master plan prepared with architect partners from Orcutt | Winslow.
Sarvran Ambala of Orcutt | Winslow described the planning process as a data-driven effort to align the district's strategic priorities — student achievement, staff development and family partnerships — with facilities investments. The consultant team compiled enrollment and capacity data, site visits, and stakeholder engagement and produced a prioritized set of recommendations and a live project spreadsheet the district can update as needs and costs change.
As part of the Phase 1 recommendations, the consultant identified the COIL campus as a strong candidate for full replacement rather than piecemeal renovation. The consultant explained the rationale: the campus is older and its existing layout constrains contemporary, project-based and maker-space learning models and could limit the district's ability to scale COIL's program districtwide without substantial compromise. The report also highlights targeted renovations and improvements at other sites (for example, parking, pick-up/drop-off, and space reconfiguration), energy-saving projects, and maintenance priorities.
Mr. Bello, the consultant lead, said replacement of a campus like COIL could address multiple priorities at once — capacity, conditions and program alignment — and recommended a prioritization matrix to guide decisions. Facilities staff told the board they have experienced multiple recent infrastructure failures at some campuses, including domestic water and chiller problems, underlining maintenance risks at older facilities.
Board members expressed interest in linking the master plan to boundary decisions and long-term capital forecasting. The board unanimously approved the phase 1 report on a motion by Mr. Cruz, seconded by Mrs. Martinez; roll call was: President Pro Tem Stably — aye; Mrs. Sisson — aye; Mrs. Martinez — aye; Mr. Cruz — aye.
The consultants provided a live spreadsheet of proposed projects, costs and condition data and said the document is intended to be maintained by district staff. The board directed staff to continue work on the next phases of planning, which will include further demographic analysis and cost estimates, and to use the master plan as the foundation for multi-year capital budgeting.
