Athletic‑field work advances; Bear Hill construction uncovers hidden conditions; district pursues E‑Rate for wireless upgrade

The facilities committee reported progress on multiple capital projects and flagged two unanticipated construction issues at the Bear Hill Elementary site that required change orders.

Dr. Robert Singh, facilities committee chair, said Turf Field 2 is complete, Turf Field 1 is prepared for turf installation, the tennis courts and track resurfacing are finished, and internal roads and sidewalks are largely in place. The field house experienced delays but had resumed progress; scoreboards and trusses have been installed. Roadwork along Old State Road, Irish Road and Cassatt Road was under way.

At Bear Hill Elementary, demolition, utility trenching and relocation of an existing generator have been completed in early phases. The contractor uncovered a void beneath an existing concrete slab that required slab removal and a change‑order allowance of $14,121.24; remediation fill plans will be discussed at the next meeting. Additionally, existing underground piping serving rainwater conductors was discovered that does not slope properly away from the building; the design team is developing a corrective plan and a separate change order had been issued for highway occupancy permitting work along Cassatt Road in the amount of $164,182.57.

The committee also reviewed a planned replacement of wireless network equipment at the end of its five‑year life cycle and discussed pursuing E‑Rate reimbursement. The district’s consultant, Salton Solutions, proposed a fee of $57,200 for E‑Rate application preparation, predictive site surveys and technical/management oversight to support an expected E‑Rate discount on eligible costs.

Committee materials and project images are posted on the district website’s quick‑link sections for the athletic fields and Bear Hill Elementary; the committee said video and still images are updated frequently.