The Bedford board on Dec. 18 approved service contracts and construction planning to repurpose the district’s maintenance garage for an in‑house auto‑tech program.

Doctor Schneider and facilities staff described a required firewall separating offices from the garage, environmental testing completed by Part D Environmental, short‑term roof repairs planned immediately and a later full roof replacement estimated at roughly $300,000 or more. The City of Bedford Heights and individuals including David Bell were acknowledged for local collaboration on permitting and occupancy approval. Administrators said the work will be paid from the district’s Permanent Improvement (PI) fund — a restricted fund supported by property tax collections that yields about $800,000 annually, of which approximately half is currently used to service prior debt — and that PI funds are limited to capital improvements, not salaries or routine purchased services.

Facilities staff said monthly extermination services are active at Heskett and that the Ohio Department of Health visited Heskett and recommended trap placement adjustments; restroom stall door repairs at Heskett were prioritized for winter break with a commitment to address many items by Jan. 5. Doctor Schneider said environmental remediation steps and air testing will be completed before students are permitted in newly renovated spaces.

Administrators intend to move vehicle lifts and add an eyewash station and electrical upgrades; they described the project as a fiscally responsible use of existing district property to expand CTE offerings and preserve larger seat counts than sending students to a consortium. A Feb. 1 start date for program operation was described as aggressive but the target administrators are pursuing.

Board approved the related service contracts and acknowledged ongoing work to schedule repairs and report back as the project advances.