Board authorizes contracts for new East Elementary and a new central office; East Elementary budget set at $55 million

Board members unanimously authorized the superintendent and chair to sign contracts to advance two major capital projects: the new Eastern Elementary School and a new central office.

For the new Eastern Elementary School, the board approved the project team and budget overview provided during the meeting: MPS Architects (architect), Edifice LLC (construction manager at risk), and a total project budget stated as $55,000,000 that includes architect and consultant fees. A preconstruction fee for the CMR was listed at $259,435 for preconstruction-phase services. The presentation set an anticipated substantial completion date of July 15, 2028, and outlined liquidated damages at $500 per day prior to final completion and $750 per day after the contractual substantial-completion date.

Separately, the board authorized signature for the new central office construction contract. The project architect was identified as McKissick Associates and the selected contractor as Neil Grading and Construction. The contract amount presented was $9,539,981, with a substantial-completion schedule of 355 days after notice to proceed and similar daily liquidated-damage provisions.

Board members noted the capital funding for these projects comes from dedicated capital funds (including lottery and sales-tax–derived capital), and presenters emphasized that capital funds are legally restricted to capital projects and cannot be used for operating expenses or staffing.

What happens next: both projects will proceed to preconstruction/early work and later return to the board for Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) approval for the Eastern Elementary project and final contractor selection updates for the central office.