School board awards walk-in freezer contract for Hughcrest and Melrose elementaries

The Douglas County SD 4 board voted unanimously to award the Hughcrest and Melrose Elementary Schools walk-in freezer project to S and B James Construction of Medford, Oregon.

Board member Denny, a district staff member who prepared the recommendation memo, told the board the selection was based on the apparent low bid and included required demolition, construction and civil work that two lower bids had not accounted for. "The recommendation based on the apparent low bid is that the board select S and B James Construction to complete the project," Denny said.

Board members discussed capacity at the schools during the presentation. Denny described the new units as walk-in systems with a cooler at the front entrance and a freezer in the back, noting that some schools currently have only reach-in freezers that hold three to four days' worth of food in best circumstances and often only one to two days' worth. "More storage space will permit them to have more product available," Denny said.

A board member spoke positively of S and B James's past performance: "S and B James has given us superior service. They've been easy to work with," the member said. With no further discussion, the board chair called for the vote. The board member recorded the result as "Aye" and the chair announced, "It's unanimous. Motion carries." The transcript does not list individual vote names beyond that recorded result.

The board did not provide a detailed construction schedule or contract amount during the public portion of the meeting. Staff indicated the memo with additional procurement details had been distributed to board members prior to the meeting and that Denny was available for questions.

The district will move forward with the contractor selection as approved by the board. Further implementation details, including start dates and contract amount, were not specified in the meeting record.