Southern Columbia plans to move ahead with SiteLogic GESA for water-tank and equipment upgrades

The Southern Columbia Area SD facilities and finance committee reviewed a planned transition into a Guaranteed Energy Services Agreement (GESA) with SiteLogic for projects that include high-school and middle-school water-tank upgrades and associated equipment replacements.

Chair (speaker 2) told the committee the notice of approval and award is posted on the district website and said the board intends to "transition into an agreement to move forward" next Monday at 7 p.m. Committee members recommended the district publish clear information online (and on Facebook) explaining the $2,000,000 figure and the specific scope — booster pumps and water-tank work — to reduce public confusion and avoid rumors about unrelated projects such as athletics facilities.

Members discussed options for public notice: some favored low-cost Facebook and website posts to reach residents; others asked about newspaper legal-notice costs (estimates up to about $300 for a long notice). The chair asked communications staff to draft clear headline language that includes the purpose and cost and to add a news story and links to prior meetings for context.

No formal vote was recorded during the committee meeting. The committee instructed staff to put the transition to agreement on the next board agenda, to circulate draft notice language for review before the Friday posting, and to be available at the next meeting to answer community questions.

Next procedural steps listed by staff included posting clarifying language on the website and Facebook, preparing the GESA agreement for Monday's board action, and responding to community inquiries about scope and cost.