Board presented with multiple facilities and fleet recommendations including fire-alarm projects, MOU for July event, vehicle replacement and GDOT bus grant

Facilities and operations staff presented multiple action items at the March work session that the superintendent will bring to the board for formal action at the regular session.

The presentation by facilities staff covered: selection of engineering firms for fire-alarm replacements at Salem High School, Arcadia High School and Heritage High School; a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the City of Conyers to use district property at 916 Pine Street NE for a July 3, 2025 Independence Day event; the recommended replacement of a facilities cargo van; and acceptance of the Georgia Department of Transportation/Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) bus-purchase grant and associated vendor contract.

Facilities presenter Bill Boutencik said the recommended engineering selection (Takersfield and Jackson Associates) will support electrical engineering and oversight for new and updated fire-alarm devices and ensure compliance with current NFPA standards. He said the projects have been approved by the Georgia Department of Education facilities office and that capital-outlay funding (as described in the presentation) will be available.

On the MOU, staff said the City of Conyers wishes to use district property at 916 Pine Street NE, Conyers, for the city’s red-white-and-boom Independence Day celebration on July 3, 2025; the memorandum has been reviewed by the superintendent and general counsel and staff reported there are no financial impacts from the district’s perspective.

On fleet and bus procurement, Boutencik recommended replacing a high-mileage facilities cargo van with a 2025 GMC Savana 2500 rear-wheel-drive cargo van for $48,794 from Hardee Chevrolet Buick GMC under state/fleet purchasing contract; the presentation cited an engine failure and high repair costs on the existing unit. Boutencik also presented the district’s GDOT/ARC bus grant contract: purchase of six 72-passenger buses totaling $847,500, with an ARC/GDOT allotment of $572,000 (80% of the base grant value) and local/ESPLOST contributions for the remainder. He said the current bus unit price for this contract is $141,250 per bus and that GDOT will cover $572,000 of the third-year contract; the district’s share noted in the presentation included $143,000 and an additional $132,500 from local E-SPLOST/other funds to cover cost increases.

All items were presented as recommendations; the board did not take final votes on these procurements at the work session. Staff said the MOU and procurements would be placed on the upcoming regular-session consent agenda for approval.

Ending: The district will present formal documents and contract language at the regular session for board approval; staff recommended engineering selection and procurement based on regulatory approvals and available grant/funding sources.