Board approves final guaranteed maximum price for Troy Gilbert Elementary; adjacent-ways levy to be considered in June

The Litchfield Elementary School District Governing Board on March 25 approved the district's final guaranteed maximum price (GMP No. 3) for Troy Gilbert Elementary School and authorized Core Construction to proceed under that GMP.

Director Ensign presented GMP No. 3 as the final GMP for the project and reviewed the planning steps already completed: a demographic study, voter-approved bond funding, site selection and boundary changes, hiring of the architect and contractor, community input meetings and the two earlier GMPs for long-lead items and site preparation. "We are also working on land acquisition," Ensign said. "Construction start is spring of 2025... Construction completion in summer of 2026. And I'm told that school opens in August of 2026."

Ensign described the site plan and traffic design, including a double parent pickup zone and a separate bus route; the site is at the corner of Glendale and Perryville. Ensign said the project's design considered CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design), safe routes to school, energy and water conservation and input from transportation and food service departments. The district selected Major Troy Gilbert as the school namesake and Principal Jenke said stakeholders chose the Aviators as the mascot, with Air Force colors (blue and gray-silver).

Board members asked about the school's size and schedule. Principal Jenke said the school is being built for about 1,050 students, "and that will go up and down depending on programming," she said.

CFO Vaughn provided information about adjacent ways, the separate levy districts can use to fund public improvements that facilitate access to district property. "Adjacent ways is a fund districts can utilize to pay for expenditures that assist with entry and exit off of district property," Vaughn said, and he warned that many improvements may not remain district property after construction. Vaughn said the district levied $1,000,000 in adjacent ways this year and had previously levied $1,200,000 to help pay for the Quasi-Meyer tax settlement. "Next year, given governing board approval, we plan to levy $2,000,000 in adjacent ways to support construction of Troy Gilbert," Vaughn said. He added that in the final year of the project the district expects to levy $1,000,000.

Vaughn outlined the adjacent-ways legal timeline: publishing and notifying newspapers at least 10 but not more than 20 days before a public hearing, holding a truth-in-taxation hearing, voting on the levy within three days of the hearing and mailing results to the property tax oversight commission. Vaughn said the district will present the levy for a formal board vote in June and work to minimize any tax-rate impact given changes in assessed valuation and the one-time Quasi-Meyer levy.

Board member Owens moved to approve GMP No. 3 with Core Construction; Board member Mikes seconded. The recorded votes were: Board member Owens ' yes; Board member Mikes ' yes; Board member Wallace ' yes; Acting Board President (name not specified) ' yes. The motion passed.

The board also confirmed a tentative groundbreaking date of April 22 and said trailers for the project would arrive on site in advance of construction.