Easton Area SD details $50M capital plan, cites $32M high‑school needs and summer projects
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Summary
CHA engineers presented the district's five‑year capital improvement plan, citing roughly $50 million in needs (more than $32 million tied to the high school) and proposing targeted summer work — public library chiller, middle‑school paving, and split‑system HVAC units — while staff pursue grant opportunities with a March 13 pre‑award deadline.
CHA engineer Mike DePodwin and Easton Area School District staff presented the district's five‑year capital improvement plan and a slate of projects planned for the next 18 months.
DePodwin summarized the CIP process (stakeholder meetings, condition assessments, prioritized recommendations and annual execution) and said the district has followed a formal plan since about 2006. He listed recent completed projects — Cheston Elementary, Palmer Elementary and Cottingham Stadium reconstruction — and said more routine work (an elevator replacement and partial middle‑school roof work) has continued behind the scenes.
The presentation placed total capital improvements at "a little over $50,000,000," with the high school component accounting for "over $32,000,000," a figure CHA and district staff cited as a rationale for pursuing a new high school rather than a piecemeal refresh. DePodwin said phase one of the new high school — infrastructure improvements and relocations — will begin this year.
District staff and CHA highlighted three projects targeted for this summer: the public library chiller replacement (scheduled to go underway in March), full‑depth pavement restoration at the back driveway of the middle school, and replacement of several split‑system HVAC units at March Elementary and the middle school.
On funding and timing, CHA said several projects align well with potential state grant opportunities for which applications must be prepared in advance. DePodwin explained the board would see resolution language to "prepare all the grant documentation" and noted a March 13 deadline for pre‑award materials. Typical procurement rhythm described: finalize bid documents in spring, bid in late spring, and construct during June–August to limit disruption to students.
Facilities director Ken Case and board members said the multi‑page CIP (broken out per building) is updated regularly and that staff meet biweekly to prioritize projects and refine estimates. Administration emphasized the need to balance priorities with fiscal capacity and personnel constraints: the two smaller projects proposed for this summer (paving and mini‑split replacements) were described in aggregate as "somewhere around that area $700,000 to $800,000," to be funded from the district capital reserve, which administration said currently holds approximately $3,000,000–$3,500,000.
CHA recommended continuing to pursue grant matches for HVAC controller replacements and additional roof work in 2027 when those projects are better positioned for state matching funds. No formal resolution to adopt the entire CIP was approved at the meeting; staff said they would bring specific bid documents and grant‑authorization resolution language back to the board for approval in April and ahead of grant due dates.
The immediate next steps described to the board were: finalize bid documents for the two 2026 projects, authorize grant application language for state pre‑award submission (March 13 deadline), and continue design and budget refinement for 2027 grant opportunities.