PCSSD board approves Robinson High classroom expansion and field bathrooms contracts

The Pulaski County Special School District board on Jan. 22 approved two separate contracts with Baldwin & Shell to advance construction work at Robinson High School: a classroom expansion and a standalone restroom building for the baseball and softball fields.

Board members voted 6-0 to approve the classroom expansion contract after a motion by board member Miss Maynard and a second by board member Miss Smith. The board then approved a separate motion, moved by Dr. Tate and seconded by Miss Maynard, to award the bathrooms contract to Baldwin & Shell by the same 6-0 tally.

Board discussion and staff remarks made clear these contract approvals are intended to preserve the district’s ability to spend previously approved bond proceeds. Board members said the district had a limited window to obligate the funds tied to the bond program and that committing funds to the Robinson work was part of demonstrating progress on capital projects. Board staff told members the district has $43,000,000 in a bond account, of which $20,000,000 already had been allocated to a Mills project and the board was committing another $20,000,000 toward Robinson work to show “good faith effort” to expend bond money after the three-year obligation window had passed.

Brandon Johnson, a district staff member who presented the contracts, said the contract amounts set budgets for the projects but do not mean immediate construction will start. “We could spend more, but we don't actually have bids yet,” Johnson said, describing the contract as a commitment of budget to hold the work in place pending the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) expected around April 1. He added that no ground will be broken until the board votes to proceed after bids and a GMP are presented.

On the bathrooms, Johnson told the board the scope is bathrooms only for the softball and baseball fields on the north side of the bleachers and does not include a concession stand. Board members and staff discussed the price point for the restroom contract; staff said the packaged design and negotiations had reduced earlier pricing into the current budget figure and that final GMPs could be lower when bids are finalized.

Johnson also addressed timing. He told the board the bathroom building will not be ready for the current baseball/softball season and estimated construction at roughly six months once work begins, with excavation and site work likely to start in summer. He said the district still requires at least one more board vote before actual construction starts. The district and board indicated they expect the restrooms to be available for the 2025–26 school year.

The board recorded that the classroom expansion contract, as presented, does not include finishing the second and third floors; staff said finishing those floors later would be handled as an addendum to the contract if the board later approves it. Several board members asked about the potential to shift savings between the two Robinson projects if bids come in under budget; staff said any savings could be reallocated, for example, to finish additional floors in the classroom project.

The board’s actions on Jan. 22 were procedural contract approvals that commit budget authority to the projects and preserve the district’s position under the bond schedule. Staff emphasized multiple times that final construction will depend on the GMP and a subsequent board vote to proceed once bids are received.

The board’s approvals followed a brief roll call and condolences at the meeting start. No separate public hearing or additional board amendments to the contracts were recorded on the meeting record.