Board amends and approves $5.9 million capital improvement plan, adds $200,000 for Portland High School smokestack repair
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Summary
Board voted to amend the capital improvement plan to add a $200,000 request for a corroded Portland High School boiler smokestack, increasing the district's CIP ask to $5.9 million; the amendment and amended CIP were approved by roll call and will go to city finance committee and city council next.
The Portland Public Schools Board approved an amended capital improvement plan (CIP) that adds $200,000 to the district HVAC request to address a corroded boiler smokestack at Portland High School, raising the total CIP request presented to the city to $5.9 million.
Board discussion focused on whether some line items should be framed as districtwide needs (e.g., HVAC systems) instead of building‑specific projects. Facilities staff and the director answered questions about project scope and recommended adding the Portland High School smokestack repair now due to safety and code‑compliance concerns.
Financial context: staff explained that city bonding will fund the work and that the CIP will next be reviewed by the city finance committee and then the city council. District staff offered a rule‑of‑thumb estimate cited during discussion that each $100,000 in additional borrowing translates to roughly a 0.078 percentage‑point change in the tax increase; during the meeting staff corrected earlier math and provided an illustrative amortization estimate while acknowledging the precise debt service figure depends on bond terms.
Board action: a motion to add $200,000 to the HVAC line (to $2.2 million for HVAC) and to increase the overall CIP request to $5.9 million carried on roll call; the amended CIP then passed by roll call with recorded 'yes' votes from board members present.
What happens next: the request moves to the city's finance committee for review with other departmental requests and then to the city council for approval of bonding. Board members asked staff to generalize some CIP language in backup materials while keeping detailed project descriptions in supporting documents.
Relevant quote: facilities director summarized the Portland High School issue as "significantly corroded and deteriorating" and said the smokestack repair is recommended now to ensure safe venting and code compliance.
The board's vote makes the amended CIP the district's formal ask for the current bonding cycle; final funding and any city amendments remain subject to city‑level review and approval.