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School system seeks millions to complete long-delayed Chocticon renovation; county weighs two funding options
Summary
St. Mary's County Public School System presented two options to complete a multisystem renovation at Chocticon that together total $61.6M–$70.1M; the district urged commissioners to bridge state and local shortfalls while the county considers reallocating CIP funds and pursuing federal grant opportunities.
Kim Howe, representing the St. Mary's County Public School System, told commissioners May 5 that the district has been planning a multisystem renovation for Chocticon since fiscal 2019 and that 52% of the building sits in a section built in 1964.
Howe said the district has assembled roughly $33.06 million in state funding (including Healthy Schools and Built to Learn allocations) and $27.6 million in local funding, yielding a base project budget of $60,746,503. After bids opened April 22, three prequalified contractors submitted proposals that exceeded available funding because of market pressures and reductions in some state allocations.
The school described two paths. Option 1 is a comprehensive approach that includes 11 contract alternates, producing a total contract near $70.1 million and leaving an estimated shortfall of about $7.5 million at the state level and $6.3 million locally; that plan would leave only a 2.7% contingency on an aging building. Option 2 is a targeted approach that drops several alternates (windows, science labs, corridor lockers and a 4-ply roof among other items), lowers the contract to about $61.6 million, and reduces the shortfall to roughly $2.3 million at the state level and $3.0 million locally while increasing contingency to about 3.8%.
Howe told the board two alternates tied to Americans with Disabilities Act corrections are required by a U.S. Department of Education review and therefore cannot be omitted. She also described uncertainty tied to terracotta sewer piping under the oldest floor sections, an item that can only be fully scoped by removing floor sections and therefore adds contingency risk.
School staff said they are actively pursuing additional state and federal options, including a federal military-connected schools grant with a May 22 submission deadline that could free $5 million in local resources if awarded and would be a no-match grant. Commissioners pressed for timing: several noted the state approval and IAC review would need coordination in June to preserve FY27 schedule and potential contract awards.
Commissioners discussed trade-offs, including delaying or reassigning CIP dollars (one proposal would repurpose $2.6 million budgeted for A&E on the Sheriff's Headquarters into school needs and revolving loans). County staff said design delays can cause added cost and code-change risk for multi-year building projects, and recommended further analysis before shifting design allocations.
Next steps: the county will continue negotiations with the state on maximum allocation and reallocation of closed-project reserves, staff will return with a recommended funding plan and bond/CIP adjustments, and commissioners scheduled a follow-up on May 12 to finalize decisions.
Why it matters: the renovation will replace HVAC, roof and aging systems in the oldest half of the building and address safety and accessibility items; commissioners must decide whether to cover local shortfalls now or phase work and risk higher costs later.
