Monroe-Woodbury officials outline phased start to $90.8 million capital project, phase 1 bidding to begin

Monroe-Woodbury Central School District officials briefed the Board of Education on Feb. 19 on the schedule and scope for a voter‑approved capital project that was authorized by district residents on Dec. 6, 2023, for approximately $90.8 million.

The presentation, delivered by Patrick Cahill, assistant superintendent for business and management services, and David Hunsberger of CPL Group with construction management input from Scott Butler, outlined four phases of work beginning this summer with boiler and security‑vestibule work and roof and masonry repairs prioritized at buildings with active water infiltration.

Cahill said the project is intended to replace building systems that have exceeded useful life and to improve health and safety, citing roofs, HVAC, security vestibules and electrical upgrades as core elements. “When it was approved, we knew this would take us 4 to 5 years to complete,” Cahill said, noting much of the work must be scheduled for summers because of school occupancy.

Hunsberger said phase 1 will begin this summer and will include boiler replacements at the high school and Smith Clove, security vestibules at Pine Tree, Sapphire, Smith Clove and Central Valley, and electrical upgrades at the bus garage, buildings & grounds and the microcomputer center. He added the Education Center was included early because of “the severity of the water infiltration through your roofs and your masonry.”

“Phase 1 is going to be starting this summer,” Hunsberger said, noting that boilers and other equipment may not be installed until later in the year because of lead times.

The team described later phases that include additional boiler-to‑hydronic conversions, courtyard and exterior repairs at North Main and Central Valley, a new concession building at the high school that required extended geotechnical and utility coordination, and multi‑summer roofing jobs at the middle school. Several interior infrastructure conversions — notably replacing steam boilers with hydronic systems — were described as multi‑summer, building‑wide undertakings that will require ceiling and lighting work and extensive piping.

State Education Department review is substantially complete for phase 1, Cahill said, and the district expected final sign‑off “probably by next week,” with bidding to follow. Hunsberger and Butler warned that fiscal reviews at the state remain a bottleneck for subsequent phases and recommended building in time for those reviews in the schedule.

Construction controls, sequencing and safety measures were reported as part of the plan: bonded contractors, pre‑bid site visits, contractor qualification meetings, an on‑site construction manager from the Palumbo/Colombo group while work is active, and limits on disruptive work during occupied hours. Scott Butler said contractors and staff will follow established site supervision, identification and Raptor screening processes so that workers are vetted and identifiable on campus.

Board members pressed for continued coordination with building administrators so summer camps, rehearsals and extracurricular use can continue. Cahill and the construction team said they will publish schedules, hold kickoff and planning meetings, and keep a central public web location updated as construction proceeds.

The presentation concluded with a reminder that much of the work will be staged over multiple summers and that unforeseen conditions (for example, when walls are opened) will be addressed with safety as the controlling factor.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation; the update was given for information and to prepare the district, staff and community for the construction season.