Pocatello District board approves $286,000 emergency temporary parking project at Highland

The Pocatello District board on Thursday voted to approve an emergency project to create a temporary parking lot and enter a contract with M&S Development and Construction for $286,000, and authorized Superintendent Dr Howell to make capital‑outlay purchases for the work without the district’s usual bidding procedures.

Jonathan Balls told the board the work is tied to a pending land closing across from Highland scheduled for the 15th. “We will close on that land,” he said, and the developer granted permission for the contractor to begin limited site work before title transfers so demolition and staging can proceed on schedule.

The contractor is to remove existing asphalt, excavate roughly 8 inches, and install a compacted 2‑inch base rather than asphalt; the base will be plowable during winter and can serve as a foundation for future paving. Balls said the contractor asked to use the north and south parking lots east of the Highland building for staging and laydown, which would affect about 160 existing parking spaces but yield roughly 200 usable temporary spaces once snow‑storage and unusable areas are excluded.

Board members pressed for safety measures. One asked how the district would keep students from crossing active work areas; Balls said the district will install fencing (including silt fencing), delineate rows with temporary bumpers or painted lines, coordinate a parent drop‑off gap near the tennis courts, and add a painted crosswalk and possibly flashing lights.

A board member raised funding concerns, noting the memo cited money previously approved to make the existing parking lot safe. Balls said the funds being used are from the same capital fund (referred to in the discussion as the 420/future projects fund) and that the district would ensure the original safety goals are preserved while accommodating the temporary lot.

The district identified M&S Development and Construction (contractor Mike Milward was discussed as the individual who previously performed district work) as the firm to do the preparation; the quoted contract price is $286,000 and includes clearing, permitting for water, base installation, fencing and some concrete blocks. Balls told trustees the contractor expected to start “first of next week” and to have the work completed by the 20th, a day before students return to school.

The board moved to approve the emergency project request, authorize the superintendent to make necessary capital outlay purchases for this project under policy 5104, and authorize entering a contract with M&S Development and Construction in the amount of $286,000. A board member made the motion and another seconded; the motion passed on a voice vote with no roll call recorded in the transcript.

The district said longer‑term decisions—whether to pave the lot in a future summer, pursue city action to abandon Bench Road for improved parent drop‑off, or include the site in the Highland master plan—will follow the district’s normal SIP/master‑planning and engineering review processes.

The meeting adjourned after the vote.