District reports progress on levy projects, new high school timeline and EV bus charging snags

Tom Mullins, director of capital projects, briefed the board on the status of levy-funded capital work and the new high school. He reported that 2018 levy projects are complete or substantially complete except for a few items (Challenger Elementary and Newcastle HVAC recommissioning) where a reserve has been set aside.

Mullins said 2022 levy projects continue to address critical repairs, noted completed IGAs at Skyline and Liberty tied to an OSPI per-square-foot grant, and reviewed grant-funded projects including a Department of Commerce energy-efficiency grant for Issaquah High School that is expected to wrap in October with final closeout in December.

On the Department of Ecology EV bus grant, Mullins said the district is “hitting a little snag” with the charger manufacturer: the charging heads require on-site commissioning and the supplier has been difficult to reach and, at times, asked for additional money. "The buses are still able to be charged, just not through this new infrastructure quite yet," he said.

Regarding the new high school, Mullins told the board the district has completed its first round of city review comments and is in round two with city staff. He said the team expects to remain on schedule for the targeted construction timeline and a 2027 opening, with key land-use hearings in November and, if needed, December.

Board members asked about permitting comments, elevator timelines (Beaver Lake Middle School elevator work deferred to 2026 because parts are backordered), and grant-IGAs required before applying for some grant opportunities. Mullins said some grant-related IGAs can take up to three months to finalize and that keeping them in place allows faster responses to "pop-up" grant opportunities.

No formal board action was taken on capital items at the meeting; staff encouraged community oversight and site visits by the capital projects oversight committee.