District details phased Wichita Center renovations, ARPA funding and county grant for next phase

District operations staff updated the board on the Wichita Family Center renovation program on Jan. 29, describing completed life-safety work, the financing used and planned future phases.

Teresa (presenter) said the district reacquired the Wichita Family Center in 2024 and that the building — constructed in 1941 — required substantial repairs. Leif Palmer said phase 1 (summer 2025) included a full roof replacement, new security panel and motion detectors, replacement of delaminating beams and interior painting; staff also installed a new boiler and kept the older boiler for redundancy. "The roof was literally falling into the hallway in certain parts of the building," Palmer said.

David Cruz described planned work for 2026 and 2027: generator replacement, asphalt and parking repairs for unsafe areas, electrical upgrades to support an HVAC replacement, lock and hardware modernization to meet current codes, carpet replacement and a furniture review. Staff said phase 1 work was funded largely through the American Rescue Plan Act ("over $1,000,000"), and that phase 2 has a $400,000 budget comprised of a $300,000 county community development grant plus a $100,000 district contribution. Larger HVAC upgrades will be considered as part of the superintendent’s bond-advisory recommendation to the board in March.

Board members asked about contingencies for unforeseen conditions when opening walls; staff said they planned conservatively, noted phase 1 included contingency for unexpected findings and described ongoing conservative capital stewardship. No vote was required for this informational update.