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Bloomfield Hills board approves $350,000 contingency to meet state safety requirements for robotics shop
Summary
The Bloomfield Hills Schools board approved a $350,000 additional contingency from bond funds to complete electrical and ventilation work triggered by a state plan review for the district's robotics facility; the vote was 6-0.
The Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education on July 28 approved a not-to-exceed $350,000 contingency from the district's bond funds to complete electrical and ventilation upgrades for the district's robotics shop, a measure administrators said was required after a state plan review.
The vote, taken during the board's business session, was 6-0 in favor. Administration and the district's bond advisors told the board that state reviewers flagged the need for explosion-proof electrical switches and outlets and a dedicated exhaust/ventilation system for a new CNC machine and other equipment being moved into the renovated robotics space.
David Goldman of the district's bond consultant described the upgrades as safety-driven changes that triggered additional electrical and structural work. He said the exhaust unit has an eight- to 10-week lead time, and that approving contingency funding promptly would avoid delaying the project or having contractors demobilize and return later.
Officials explained the district had an original project contingency (described in presentation materials as about $304,000) and roughly $100,000 remaining in that line, but much of that remainder was committed to ongoing construction across the bond program. Administrators and consultants recommended the $350,000 not-to-exceed contingency so the work could proceed without a return trip to the board.
The contingency was described as being drawn from the bond fund. The board's approval followed extended discussion about project scope, the state review process and how the additional equipment planned for the robotics area (including a new CNC machine) changed requirements from those anticipated in initial designs.
The bond update presented earlier in the meeting showed most projects on schedule, listed remaining forecasted commitments in the multi-million-dollar range, and projected an opening for the high school wellness center around Aug. 11 subject to township inspections and fire-system tie-ins.
What happens next: staff will issue orders for the required equipment and schedule the electrical and structural work so the robotics space meets state plan-review requirements and is ready for the fall term.
