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Board to consider $6.29M William Penn demolition bid after new asbestos testing; $200,000 contingency requested
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Summary
Administration presented a $6.29 million cooperative bid to demolish the William Penn building and reported Element Environmental testing that found remaining asbestos in window glazing, roof sections and 9x9 floor tiles. Staff asked the board to authorize a $200,000 asbestos reserve and an on-site consultant to ensure air monitoring during demolition.
Administration told the committee that a KPN cooperative bid to demolish the William Penn building totaled $6,291,351.83 and recommended carrying the project under capital reserve funding. John Reedy, who led the presentation, said Element Environmentaltesting completed April 9 found asbestos in multiple building components, including window glazing, a limited portion of the roof and some 9-by-9 floor tiles. He said asbestos abatement must precede demolition and recommended an on-site asbestos consultant and routine air testing to protect students and the community.
"We did find areas of the building that still contain asbestos that will need to be abated prior to demolition," Reedy said, and described a proposed asbestos demolition reserve of $200,000 to avoid stopping work for small unknown abatement costs uncovered once demolition begins. He warned that the total project cost could rise as additional conditions are found, although he said the preliminary testing did not show extensive roof-deck asbestos.
Board members pressed staff on why prior work in 2023-24 had not removed all asbestos. Reedy and administration explained that earlier abatement relied on a 1997 ADHERA management plan and that Element's more recent, targeted testing identified areas not captured in the earlier report. Reedy said the district paid roughly $1.1 million for the prior cleanout and asbestos work in 2024 and that the current demolition estimate reflects market increases and additional work.
Miss Robinson asked whether previously allotted capital-reserve dollars were being reused for the project or if this was a new draw on the fund. A district finance staffer said the capital reserve is a single account from which the original William Penn appropriation and the present request would be taken; the current motion to the April 28 agenda represents the remaining amount needed to complete the project rather than a separate new $6.3 million appropriation.
Administration also recommended hiring Baxter Environmental (a WBE firm) for asbestos abatement quotations and Element Environmental for ongoing air/dust monitoring. Reedy explained the proposed project manager (Lobar) would coordinate contractors and that abatement is treated as a separate change-order category in the cooperative contract process.
No vote was taken tonight. The board moved the Guardian Group demolition proposal, the $200,000 asbestos demolition reserve, and the Element Environmental monitoring contract to the April 28 consent agenda for formal action. If the board approves the contracts at that meeting, staff said demolition and abatement work would be scheduled to start in summer 2026; administration warned that delaying approval beyond May could jeopardize summer schedules and push some projects into the following year.
What happens next: The demolition proposal, asbestos reserve and monitoring contract were placed on the April 28 agenda. Administration said it expects a Lobar quote for abatement detail before that date and will update the board if estimates change.
