Hopewell schools present $61 million in facilities needs; HVAC, roofs and buses flagged as urgent

Superintendent Dr. Hackney and Operations Director Berlin Gregory delivered a condensed version of the school division—s five-year strategic plan and walked council through pressing facility needs they said will affect academics and safety.

Gregory said the district has approximately $61,000,000 in capital improvements that need to be addressed across school properties. He described the HVAC system at Hopewell High School as critical: geothermal piping has corroded and cannot be repaired, and rooftop units are estimated to cost in the low millions to replace. Gregory said a failure of the geothermal system would leave the school without air conditioning and that some compressors previously required replacement at significant expense.

The presentation also identified the roof at Carter G. Woodson as failing in places where insulation is saturated; staff have completed partial repairs with grant funding but said full replacement would be a multi-million-dollar undertaking. The district also noted a bus-replacement backlog: 11 buses reach their age limit this year, with additional vehicles aging out in subsequent years.

Dr. Hackney framed facility investment as central to student outcomes and community strength: "Every dollar that we invest in our schools is a down payment on the future of Hopewell," he said. He asked council to work with the school finance committee during budget season to align resources to the division—s priorities.

Council and school staff identified potential grant opportunities and said they were coordinating with the city finance committee to align funds; they also described internal steps the district has taken to reallocate resources and create a project manager position to advance multi-year work.

The presentation concluded with staff asking for continued partnership as the city and schools plan budgets and seek state and grant funding to address the most urgent items.