Board hears public testimony on high‑school LED lighting and middle‑school parking lot estimates
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
At a public hearing the district outlined a high‑school LED lighting purchase estimated at about $350,000 and an engineer estimate of roughly $2.1 million for the middle‑school parking lot (against a $2.0M budget). Staff described system features, warranty terms and a summer construction timeline; the board closed the hearing with no immediate vote.
The Lewis Central Comm School District opened a public hearing to review planned LED lighting at the high school and planned reconstruction of the middle‑school parking lot. Superintendent (unnamed in the transcript) said LED fixtures and installation for the high school are being procured through a state partnership and estimated the high‑school package at about $350,000, based on architect estimates and experience with prior installations.
The superintendent described the lighting as a programmable system with per‑room dimming and centralized controls; he said teachers have valued the dimmable capability for presentations and to reduce sensory overload for some students. When asked about warranties, staff said manufacturers typically offer a one‑year warranty covering defects; installation quality is assured through architect and engineer oversight, including concrete core sampling to validate base thickness and corrective work when samples fail.
On the middle‑school parking lot, staff reported an engineer’s estimate of about $2,100,000 while the district has budgeted $2,000,000. The estimate includes grading, storm‑drain work, new concrete and sidewalks, lighting and pavement removal and replacement. Staff said Project Advocate (Brett Wallace) considered the estimate consistent with recently awarded bid packages. Board members asked about scope items the district could add later—such as additional parking stalls near the athletic building, extra lighting or camera mounts—and staff said these could be scoped as change orders or separate projects.
Staff also discussed schedule tradeoffs and staging for construction: work is planned to start after schools dismiss for the summer (the superintendent said crews expect to begin the week after Memorial Day) and staff will review phasing to preserve operations. On expected lifespan, staff said properly constructed concrete parking areas in the district typically reach 10–20 years depending on climate, de‑icing practices and traffic; they said 20 years would be a favorable outcome but that heavy bus and vehicle traffic shortens lifespan.
The board closed the public hearing without taking an immediate vote and moved on to other business.