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Austin schools to solicit bids for Westcott Tennis Court reconstruction; district outlines summer facility projects
Summary
The board authorized advertising for sealed bids to rebuild Westcott Tennis Courts, with ISG handling specifications and an estimated base cost of $630,000–$700,000; district staff also presented other summer projects and funding plans including lease-levy and LTFM funds.
The Austin Public School District board authorized staff to advertise and solicit sealed bids for reconstruction of the Westcott Tennis Courts, a step district staff said is meant to gather competitive proposals before any final decision on funding or contractor selection.
Speaker 4, presenting the summer project overview, told the board the base project cost for Westcott is "about 630 to 700,000" with alternate bid items included. ISG, the district’s consultant and architect, prepared the specifications and will host the sealed‑bid process. Staff said if the project moves forward after bids are returned, construction is targeted to begin in May and complete by August to avoid conflicts with school seasons.
The district described funding options, saying the Westcott work is a candidate for a lease‑levy financing structure that would spread payments over 10 years to preserve long‑term facility maintenance (LTFM) funds for other projects. Board members pressed project leads about subsurface bore sampling, vendor competition, and whether Hastings Gym or other projects could use the same levy approach. Speaker 4 said the board has the right to reject bids and ISG expects multiple vendors to respond.
Other summer projects presented and their estimated budgets included a Hastings Gym floor replacement (base floor estimate about $218,993), Crystal Hall painting and technology upgrades (~$53,000), painting for Austin High School third‑floor hallways (~$22,000) and an estimated painting cost (Hastings painting ~ $20,000). The district said the adopted budget shows roughly $1 million remaining in the long term facility maintenance balance as of the previous June, and that annual state allocations also supplement LTFM funds.
At the meeting the board clarified the February vote authorized only the solicitation of bids and is not an approval of construction or of a specific funding source. A voice vote to authorize advertisement and solicitation for bids was recorded as 'Aye' and the board approved going out for bids.
District staff said next steps include finalizing the bid advertisement, obtaining MDE/finance approvals as needed for lease‑levy language, and returning to the board in March with bid results and recommended funding sources.
