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Board approves business items; staff to retain consultant for building-condition survey and pre-bond services
Summary
The Hastings-on-Hudson Board of Education approved business items 1–12 July 16, including a staff recommendation to retain a consultant to conduct the state-required building condition survey and provide pre-bond services to support a potential capital referendum.
The Hastings-on-Hudson Board of Education voted July 16 to approve business items 1 through 12, including a staff recommendation to retain a consultant to perform the state-required building condition survey (BCS) and provide pre-bond services in advance of any capital referendum. The motion to approve business items 1–12 was moved by a board member and seconded by the chair; the board voted in favor by voice vote.
Board and staff described the recommended consultant as a K–12 specialist that would perform the BCS and then continue as the district's pre-bond advisor, handling technical analysis, cost estimating and public communications. A staff member said, "This is to carry us through what's called a building condition survey, which is required as explained in the memo," and emphasized the engagement would be "soup to nuts" support through a referendum process if the board moves forward.
District staff told trustees the procurement drew several strong proposals and that interview panels narrowed finalists to four. A staff member said the recommended firm's BCS fee was lower than others but that professional services are selected on multiple criteria, not price alone. Staff also highlighted the firm's in-house cost estimator and said the firm's historical work produced change-order figures close to initial estimates (staff cited an outcome roughly within a 1–2% margin and described "under 2%" for owner-driven change orders in favorable cases).
Trustees asked for and were directed to the full submission, which staff said is part of the public record; staff explained the packet arrived to the board late under an "emergency" exception so staff could notify unsuccessful firms before publicly disclosing the decision. Staff also noted the selected firm's Bronxville projects as a comparable example of referendum work and stressed capacity to run the BCS and pre-bond work in parallel to meet a possible early-spring timeline.
Next steps: staff will make the full proposal materials available from the public record and proceed with contract finalization consistent with the board vote. The board did not specify a referendum date during the meeting.
