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Henrico board reviews $33.1 million preliminary CIP; $15 million requested for HVAC and mechanical work
Summary
Henrico County School Board received a first look at the FY26-27 capital improvement plan on Oct. 23. Staff requested $33.1 million overall, including $15 million targeted to critical mechanical and HVAC replacements, and warned inflation has increased project costs.
Henrico County School Board members on Oct. 23 heard a first look at the recommended FY26-27 capital improvement plan and a request to increase targeted mechanical funding.
Lenny Richard, presenting the CIP, said the division's preliminary enrollment is 49,008 students and outlined recent meals tax uses and inflation'driven cost increases. "This CIP request includes $15,000,000 to begin addressing these identified mechanical projects and to complete necessary repairs," Richard said. He explained that HVAC replacements (chillers, cooling towers, rooftop units) and other mechanical components are costly and that storage of large items is impractical.
Richard summarized recent meals tax-supported work: the division has completed 462 projects using "about 96,700,000" in meals tax funds for items such as vestibules, camera systems and the Tuckahoe Auditorium addition. He said playground replacement costs rose from $250,000 to $305,000 per site, and the CIP requests $1.6 million annually to replace five elementary playgrounds. The presentation also noted purchases of 318 new buses over the past five years and the addition of 40 alternative-fuel buses (20 propane, 20 electric).
Board members sought details on independent assessments and project prioritization; Ms. Kinsella noted some projects listed with an asterisk had been independently assessed by consultants such as Centek and Moseley Architects. Mr. Young asked what $15 million would specifically accomplish; staff said the funds would support both proactive maintenance and large replacements but that chillers and large units are expensive (hundreds of thousands of dollars each) and not practical to keep in storage.
Richard said the division will seek board approval for the preliminary CIP at the November monthly meeting before submitting its proposal to the Board of Supervisors for consideration during the county budget process. No funding was approved at the Oct. 23 work session.
