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Carlsbad board directs staff to pursue Measure HH "fast‑track" safety and stadium projects
Summary
After a detailed Measure HH update, trustees voted 5–0 to direct staff to advance predesign, cost estimates and procurement steps for a short list of safety and stadium projects — including fire‑alarm upgrades, a new stadium sound system and a geotechnical investigation at Sage Creek.
The Carlsbad Unified School District Board of Trustees on Nov. 19 directed staff to pursue predesign and procurement steps for a prioritized set of projects tied to the Measure HH bond program, citing inflation‑driven budget shortfalls and the need to protect student safety and high‑use facilities.
The board voted unanimously to have staff develop contracts, detailed cost estimates and timelines for fire‑alarm and access‑control upgrades, a new Carlsbad High stadium sound system and scoreboard, an investigation into soil and storm‑drain failures at Sage Creek, a replacement chiller pump at Carlsbad High and targeted front‑office access controls and intercom upgrades at select schools.
The action follows a presentation from staff showing the Measure HH program had generated roughly $275 million in bond proceeds originally, with a current cash balance of about $89.6 million and $70.6 million in committed remaining costs; staff said that leaves under $19 million available to begin phase‑3 work unless the board reprioritizes.
"Tonight we're asking for board direction on how you would like us to proceed with the remaining available bond funds," project lead Rob Nye told trustees during the presentation. Staff emphasized large industry escalation since the bond was planned and identified a set of "fast‑track" items that could be started sooner and would not require lengthy DSA or geotechnical reviews.
Community members urged quick action on stadium items. "I plead for the life of my two teenage children," said Tyler Brown of the Carlsbad High touchdown club, describing damaged locker rooms and a failing sound system and asking that the district use HH funds to address stadium audio and related amenities. Announcers and boosters echoed that the sound system "cuts out" and that a replacement could be installed quickly as a summer fast‑track project.
Staff provided illustrative cost estimates: an approximately $145,000 sound system, a $391,500 scoreboard and a $652,000 estimate for a chiller pump replacement at Carlsbad High, while fire‑alarm and site‑wide access improvements were presented as higher‑cost safety priorities. Staff also warned that a full remediation of soil and storm‑drain failures at Sage Creek could be substantially larger (a high‑level estimate on the table was as much as tens of millions) and recommended immediate geotechnical investigation rather than committing to full remediation without design.
Trustees said they favored a hybrid approach: start limited, high‑visibility and fast‑track safety work now while funding geotechnical studies and pursuing reimbursements or recaptured soft‑cost savings from projects nearing closeout. "If we just wanted to specifically highlight the sound system or one of those things, we can pull those out and see how much those cost," one trustee said during deliberations.
The board's vote authorizes staff to begin predesign and procurement steps and return with detailed costs and schedules, rather than to begin construction immediately. Staff said they would return in early 2026 with refined estimates and recommended phasing before construction commitments.
