District facilities report: Mills arena delayed two weeks; bus pound lease, wastewater plants flagged as urgent

District facilities staff updated the Pulaski County Special School District board on construction progress at several campuses and raised two items of near‑term concern: an expiring lease on a northwest bus pound and aging wastewater treatment plants.

Facilities presenter said Mills High School’s new classroom addition opened with a community celebration and that the arena’s tentative completion date had been pushed to Sept. 12 to finish detailed work. He described masonry, storefront, polished concrete (about 65% complete) and gym subfloor work (about 90% complete) as ongoing. He also reported an elevator wiring/cell‑phone interlock issue that caused a roughly two‑week delay but said mechanical, plumbing, HVAC and security work were on track.

On other campuses, the College Station design and logistics were proceeding and Harrison College Station’s first day on Harris’ campus was described as “festive.” Harris Elementary still requires roof and gym finishes and the district said it did not yet have a guaranteed maximum price for some final Harris work.

The district flagged a lease on a northwest bus pound (used for maintenance, fueling and storage) that expires in about 16 months. Staff said the property owner previously offered to sell 8 acres for about $1.5 million and had raised annual rent from about $35,000 to roughly $78,000; the owner has since proposed roughly $146,000 a year under new terms, which staff said would be unaffordable. Staff proposed a possible interim metal building solution for about $500,000 to allow a move instead of waiting to budget a fully built facility estimated at about $4 million.

Facilities staff also said three wastewater treatment plants — Lawson, Landmark and Oak Grove — are well past their designed 20‑year service life and are operating 40–45 years old. Replacement estimates previously were in the $400,000–$500,000 range but staff said construction‑cost inflation could push those figures about 40% higher and urged the board to consider timing for rehabilitation or replacement.

Board members asked for details on site locations and parking logistics, and staff described the Maumelle pad that is owned and available for a future bus pound; staff noted utility work, restroom and office needs and fuel‑tank configurations required for operations.

The facilities update concluded with staff asking the board to be aware of tight Fund 3 capital balances and to plan accordingly for near‑term projects.