Richland 1 FNF committee reviews capital projects, previews public project dashboard

The FNF committee heard a comprehensive update on capital projects across Richland 1 on Feb. 17, including timelines for major construction work, a plan to budget roughly $20 million of projects next fiscal year and a promise to publish a public project dashboard by Feb. 28.

Mister Grant, who led the presentation, told commissioners the district will fund projects from general obligation bonds and fund transfers and that the board recently approved an estimated $26,000,000 in geobond proceeds for FY27. "Six million of that will be used immediately to pay for devices for students," he said, and staff are planning about $20 million of projects to follow once bond proceeds are realized.

The presentation covered both one‑time construction projects and recurring maintenance. Mr. Henry reviewed specific work under way or planned — from an Adult Ed parking lot nearing completion (lighting remains) to Brennan Elementary's secure entrance (construction expected to complete March 30), kitchen consolidation feasibility work, marquees replacements and the near‑completion of the Richland 1 TV studios. He said the central kitchen renovation idea dates to earlier board requests (initially discussed around 2018) but that only limited work (freezer additions) has been completed to date.

District leaders said some projects that were budgeted years ago require updated cost estimates because original allocations no longer cover current prices. "$400,000 for an athletic storage building in 2018 is not gonna cut it now," Mister Grant said while describing why several long‑open items require reevaluation.

On athletics and site improvements, presenters described a multi‑year plan to replace turf fields at a pace of approximately one field per year to avoid concentrated costs, and they described weight‑room planning at Lower Richland that presents three options (retain location, repurpose an academic building or build new), with additional funding expected to be requested in a future capital cycle.

Transparency was a recurring theme. Dr. Coppock and Mr. Grant previewed a public Power BI dashboard that will show each project's approved budget, expenditures, encumbrances, remaining budget, fund source and project manager, along with status and scope cards. "We will update that spreadsheet quarterly," Dr. Coppock said, and the team expects the public dashboard to be available February 28. Presenters said some fields (status updates and project scope descriptions) will be entered manually and that the dashboard will allow drilldowns to specific projects or managers.

Board members pressed on two recurring concerns: whether the dashboard will show sources and destinations when funds are reallocated, and how the district determines when to close long‑open projects. Staff said budget change cards will reflect plus/minus changes and that the team will work to add descriptors showing origins for reallocated dollars; they also said a departmental reorganization and year of work has focused on moving stalled projects forward or reevaluating items that are no longer needed.

The committee was also given a preview that the facility condition assessment and a demography study by consultant MGT will be presented at a March 31 board work session where board members can ask questions and examine the results.

The presentation closed with praise from a board member for the depth of the review; staff thanked the committee and said the district will publish the Power BI dashboard and provide quarterly updates so the public and board can track progress.