Appropriations committee advances supplemental K–12 facilities bill; adds Campbell County projects

The Senate Appropriations Committee on a roll-call vote of 5-0 advanced House Bill 259, a supplemental K–12 school facilities appropriation package that the committee’s presenters said mirrors the governor’s recommendations and covers 21 projects totaling about $206,901,896.

Committee staff and the State Construction Department described the package as a mix of component projects, design work and construction funding drawn from a governor-recommended priority list. Del McComley, director for the State Construction Department, said the bill largely implements projects identified through the department’s facility-condition assessments and related Mercer (most-cost-effective-remedy) studies and that major maintenance funding appears in House Bill 1 instead.

The bill lists a series of component and construction projects. Among the largest items discussed were replacement work tied to Campbell County High School (Mercer recommendations supporting replacement were cited at roughly $144,569,700), transportation-facility work, demolition allowances (about $6.3 million and roughly $1 million stated for two demolitions) and assorted HVAC and electrical upgrades in other districts (examples cited during the hearing included $5.5 million for Wyoming…