Board approves construction‑related items: insurance extension, monitoring contract and turf replacement amid community questions

The Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education on March 11 approved three construction‑related items: an extension of the district’s owner‑controlled insurance program for ongoing high‑school construction, a scope amendment to add noise monitoring to an existing air‑monitoring contract for the new Building C, and a proposal to replace the artificial turf at Horace Mann elementary.

Insurance extension for BHHS construction District staff explained that the owner‑controlled insurance program (OCIP, often called SOAP in the packet) covers project general liability and is recalculated as on‑site construction value increases. Staff characterized the extension as a routine contract adjustment to continue coverage for the current work; the board voted to approve the extension. Board questions sought confirmation that the extension had been budgeted; staff said the cost was included in the project budget and would be tracked in the bond program and construction fund accounting.

Air and noise monitoring for Building C The board ratified Amendment No. 1 to the contract with ZF Alexander to add noise monitoring to previously approved air monitoring services for the Building C work. Staff said the monitors run 24 hours and that noise monitoring is used specifically when night or earth‑moving work occurs; inspectors also perform handheld air checks during active soil movement. Staff said the amendment does not change the original not‑to‑exceed contract price at this time and that the monitoring is designed to document compliance with applicable construction‑phase requirements.

Horace Mann field replacement and material questions Trustees approved a CMAS purchase proposal to replace the artificial turf on the Horace Mann field. District staff and the construction manager presented the recommended turf system as a “no‑infill” product using a padding system beneath synthetic fibers; presenters said the specified product avoids the loose rubber or crumb infill that has raised community concern in other districts and that the manufacturer provides a long‑term warranty (presentation referenced a multi‑year warranty and vendor test procedures).

Board members and several speakers asked multiple technical questions before the vote: whether natural grass could be used on top of the parking‑structure deck under the field, the expected useful life of the proposed turf and pad system, drainage and current flood conditions on the field, and whether the proposed materials contain PFAS or other concerning additives. Staff said the Horace Mann field is built over a structural deck above parking, that irrigation and subsurface conditions make natural turf impractical at that site, and that the specified product is manufactured without the PFAS‑type extrusion infill that community members had flagged. Staff said they would share additional product documentation and test reports with trustees and the public.

Votes and next steps - SOAP/OCIP extension for BHHS project — approved (roll‑call vote recorded as aye). - Ratification of Amendment No. 1 to ZF Alexander for air and noise monitoring (Building C) — ratified; staff will correct an internal reference in the amendment document before signature to note Building C. - Horace Mann artificial turf replacement (CMAS proposal) — approved; vote recorded 4–1 with one trustee opposing. Staff said procurement would proceed and installation would follow the district’s construction schedule; manufacture lead times were cited as several weeks.

Ending: Board members asked staff to publish product specifications and supporting safety documentation for the turf product and to continue outreach to neighbors on noise‑monitoring results. The construction manager and business services staff said costs were budgeted in the bond and deferred maintenance accounts currently allocated to the projects.