Board approves Kennedy rubber-roof bid for North Stewart and passes several budget amendments

Stewart County — The Stewart County School Board voted to accept a $658,194 bid from Kennedy for a rubber roof replacement at North Stewart School and approved multiple budget amendments to fund capital work and program allocations.

The roof decision: After staff presentation on roofing options, maintenance supervisor James Craig recommended an EDPM (rubber) roof for North Stewart, citing durability and in-house repairability. Craig told the board, “My recommendation is to go just with the rubber roof,” and explained that the rubber product carries a 25-year edge-to-edge warranty and is easier for district maintenance staff to patch without specialized welding tools required for PVC roofing.

Motion and vote: The board approved the Kennedy rubber-roof bid for North Stewart. The motion to accept Kennedy’s bid at $658,194 was made by Mister Passau and seconded by Mister Shelton. The board conducted a roll-call vote: Mister Dicus — yes; Miss Fidji — yes; Mister Passau — yes; Miss Sanders — yes; Mister Gillum — yes; Mister Shelton — yes. The motion carried.

Budget amendments and allocations: Staff described three 141 amendments and additional adjustments that the board approved by motion and voice vote. Key items presented by district staff included: - A proposed $200,000 appropriation for construction of bathrooms at the county golf facility and $45,000 for Chromebooks and a website update; - An allocation of up to $725,000 from fund balance for a roof at North Stewart (staff said the full amount provided room for contingencies); - A head-start collaboration grant allocation listed at $24,000; staff said those funds would be directed toward teacher stipends for two teachers at North Stewart, and staff also identified an additional $20,000 for playground equipment (as described by staff during the meeting); - A state special-education pre-K allocation of $21,229 for the state pre-K grant.

Staff said the $725,000 figure includes contingency space in case additional repairs or drainage work is needed, and that the contract phase will return to the board for formal approval with specific start and completion dates. The winning bidder indicated work would start as soon as school is out for summer and finish, at the latest, the week before school resumes.

Contract administration and schedule: Board members asked staff to ensure the contract contains liquidated-damage provisions tied to start/completion dates and to list all contractor responsibilities. Staff confirmed the bid package already included a completion date and that the contract would be returned to the board for final approval before work begins.

What the board did not do No additional long-term borrowing or new capital tax was approved. The board’s votes covered specific appropriations and awarding a construction contract; further contract-level approvals and oversight were described as next steps.