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District outlines summer construction, air-conditioning rollout and next-phase design for two middle schools
Summary
Chief Finance Officer Dave Montoya reviewed summer facilities work funded by the debt-free mill levy override, including air-conditioning installations at Beatty and O'Day, hundreds of smaller projects, and planned design work for Weber and Lesher middle schools using a design-build solicitation
Chief Finance Officer Dave Montoya told the board Aug. 26 that the district completed a broad slate of summer projects made possible by the voter-approved mill levy override and that the work included both visible upgrades and less-visible safety work.
Montoya said two elementary schools — Beatty and O’Day — received mechanical cooling this summer, and that the district is beginning design work for the next phase of air-conditioning projects, identifying Weber and Lesher middle schools as the top priorities because of large student populations and buildings that “typically run hotter.” The district had a solicitation out for a design–build team for those two middle schools and expected to award the contract in the week of Sept. 8.
Montoya also listed other summer work: playground replacements, an advanced manufacturing Career Tech Center at Poudre High School, roofing and fire-alarm system projects, four boiler replacements, and a series of programmatic facility moves. He said teams completed about 85% of roughly 4,800 work orders that were logged after a new ticketing system launched April 1.
On heat mitigation: the district purchased 500 portable air coolers and began testing window films and skylight coverings as lower-cost measures. Montoya cautioned that such mitigation is limited at extreme temperatures and emphasized the need for multi-year mechanical solutions.
Why it matters: The district’s deferred-maintenance backlog was described in prior engineering audits; board members and staff said the mill levy funds are “transformational” but not infinite, and they emphasized the need to balance capital investment in air conditioning with other safety and deferred-maintenance priorities across the district.
Costs and timing: At the meeting staff discussed ranges and trade-offs; Montoya and other board members described elementary installations as less complex than middle- and high-school projects and said larger sites will require phased multi-year work to fit summer construction windows.
Ending: Montoya and the superintendent thanked voters and staff; the district plans continued public updates and a more detailed rollout plan as designs and contractor agreements progress.
