Middletown City Schools: transportation facility near completion; parking and fueling delayed by winter weather
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Summary
Business manager Eric Stotzing told the board the new transportation facility on Cincinnati-Dayton Road reached substantial completion of the main building Oct. 17 and is on budget, but final exterior work — including the parking lot and fueling system — has been delayed by winter weather and will be finished in spring or summer.
Business manager Eric Stotzing told the Middletown City School Board on Dec. 15 that the district’s new transportation facility on Cincinnati-Dayton Road is substantially complete but will not meet the original finish date because cold weather has delayed exterior work.
Stotzing said the main building reached substantial completion Oct. 17, which allowed staff to move into portions of the facility. He told the board buses will be moved to the site on Dec. 22–23 and that transportation operations will be fully on-site then. “We were anticipating being March; it’s now going to be summer at this point” for final exterior items, he said, noting paving requires consistent temperatures of 40°F and rising.
The business manager emphasized the delay will not increase the district’s cost for the work. “The project is on budget,” he said, reporting the guaranteed maximum price was “just under $10,000,000.” Stotzing said the district is about 93% financially complete on the contract and roughly 96% physically complete, and that approximately $6,700,000 of the project used ESSER and ARC funds.
Stotzing identified two major outstanding components: the fueling system (targeted for January completion) and the parking lot (deferred until warmer weather and the availability of asphalt plants). He said the district and its construction manager decided to delay paving rather than install asphalt in temperatures that could compromise quality.
The presentation also covered related projects: planned renovations to the Sophie Avenue preschool building (cafeteria, playground, parking and drop-off upgrades to meet licensing) and a high-school connector project whose earlier 2016–2018 contracting created some contract and architectural complications. Stotzing said attorneys, architects and construction managers are reviewing legacy work to avoid duplicating prior architectural or contract management efforts.
Board members asked whether previously purchased materials — such as steel and matching brick from earlier phases — remain available. Stotzing said those materials are stored with the construction manager of record and will be used where feasible. He said the district will return with renderings and a refined schedule for the connector and preschool work.
The board did not take formal action on these items; Stotzing said the delays should not change the district’s financial exposure and that a formal dedication will be scheduled when all work is complete.