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Colonial School District committee outlines five‑year capital priorities and next steps for facility use policy
Summary
Committee members reviewed a living five‑year capital plan that prioritizes roofs, HVAC, field turf and a delayed elevator project (a grant application was submitted); administrators also presented facility‑use statistics and said a seven‑year policy will be circulated to the board.
The Colonial School District’s facilities management and transportation committee on April 6 reviewed a five‑year capital improvement plan that emphasizes roofing, HVAC upgrades, athletic‑field turf replacement and bleacher work while moving a proposed elevator installation into year three pending grant funding.
Joe Lai, who presented the plan, said the document is “live” and that projects can shift between years if equipment fails or funding becomes available. He described turf replacement as a 10–12 year lifecycle that requires removal and testing of infill material followed by installation of new turf and annual compaction testing to limit injury risks. Lai said administrators had applied for a grant to fund a new elevator design (the application cited an estimated cost of about $2 million) and are evaluating interim accessibility options such as a chair/rail system.
Why it matters: the committee is trying to balance near‑term safety and accessibility needs with limited capital reserves. Committee materials show roughly $15.8 million in capital reserve funds earmarked for deferred maintenance and capital projects; staff said about $4 million of that is tentatively targeted for 2026–27 roofing and HVAC needs.
The meeting also included a walkthrough of the district’s Master Library scheduling system. Lai said the scheduling tool handles event requests across gyms, auditoriums and classrooms, automatically generates work orders for maintenance and technology when bookings request services, and tracks assets and district vehicles. District staff reported 12,616 booking requests in the most recent 12‑month reporting period and 10,392 approved uses; roughly 58% of bookings were internal district activity and about 39% were community uses.
A facilities usage policy that the administration described as about seven years old will be posted in board notes for review; the policy classifies applicants and ties fees to three categories (district use, community nonprofit, and commercial/profit groups) with custodial charges applied when appropriate. Committee members emphasized preserving community access while ensuring groups pay for custodial and incidental costs when required.
Accessibility questions surfaced during the presentation: committee members said accessibility improvements—particularly near shop/CAD labs—remain under consideration, and staff stated that no student has been denied access to classes while longer‑term elevator or renovation work is pursued. Lai and operations staff described current restroom hours (roughly 7 a.m.–9 p.m. on school days with event exceptions), the use of key‑fob controls on stadium bathrooms to limit vandalism, and the complications of winterizing smaller comfort stations tied to field plumbing.
A representative of the White Marsh Youth Boys League told the committee the league has grown substantially over the past decade and depends on district gym and turf access to keep registration fees low. League organizers asked the board to preserve nonprofit access and noted many families rely on consistent, low‑cost facility time.
Next steps: the administration will circulate the facilities usage policy in board notes for review and continue pursuing grant funding for the elevator and roofing projects. The facilities committee adjourned and the HR and finance committee meetings followed later the same evening.
