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Romulus schools propose phased parking‑lot repair; staff recommends Best Asphalt and Nagel Paving bids
Summary
District staff recommended a two‑year, targeted repair plan to address the worst school parking lots using sinking‑fund money, reporting a sinking‑fund balance of just north of $5,000,000 and recommending separate bid packages to Best Asphalt and Nagel Paving; the board did not formally vote on contract awards at the meeting.
Jason Perkins, a Romulus Community Schools presenter, told the board on April 13 that the district needs a two‑year, phased parking‑lot repair program to address severely deteriorated lots across the district.
Perkins said a full replacement of every lot was estimated at about $16.5 million last year and that inflation has pushed the projected cost closer to $20 million. He recommended a targeted approach that prioritizes the worst sections and uses different repair methods—crack seal and seal coat, 3‑inch mill‑and‑fill, and full‑depth replacement—so the district can stretch available funds across two summers. “Our current sinking fund balance is just north of $5,000,000,” Perkins said, and he advised the board that a bond would be needed for complete replacements but would not be available immediately.
Perkins described splitting this summer’s work into two permitting‑driven bid packages. Bid package A (middle school, Romulus Elementary and Wick Elementary) received three bids; the district’s low bid recommendation was Best Asphalt, a local firm. Bid package B (high school work) received five bids; Perkins recommended Nagel Paving for that package. He also said the recommended plan includes a 10% contingency for unknown subsurface conditions. “We were targeting $2,000,000. We came quite a bit under,” Perkins said, noting the district deliberately did not design a scope that would be too large to complete in a single summer.
Perkins disclosed past work with Best Asphalt in another district: “I did work with Best Asphalt in my last district,” he said, adding that the previous engagement was a small parking‑lot project and that he does not consider the company a personal friend. The presenter said the district conducted post‑bid interviews to vet bidders’ capacity and timeline commitments.
Board members asked when work would begin if the board approved the awards; Perkins said crews would begin construction as soon as school is out and aim to complete work by the start of the next school year. The meeting record shows Perkins made recommendations to award the two bid packages, but the board did not take a recorded vote on contract awards during this meeting. The only formal vote at the session was to accept the meeting agenda as amended earlier in the evening.
Next steps: The board must consider Perkins’ recommendations in a future action item for formal contract award and appropriation of sinking‑fund dollars.
