Tabb High renovation scaled and redesigned; geothermal option drives long‑term savings claim

Project leads presented a detailed update on the Tabb High School renovation March 24, describing scope, recent design optimizations and an updated construction‑cost estimate.

Mr. Kilburn, the capital projects lead, summarized the scope: full HVAC replacement, roof work, LED lighting upgrades, expanded learning commons and maker space, locker-room and restroom renovations, administrative-suite relocation, and security/visitor-management improvements. He said the project also considers sheltering needs for community emergency use.

The project team said moving the geothermal pump room into a more optimized location allowed the design to remain inside the existing building envelope, avoiding about 15,000 square feet of expansion and producing a projected $3–4 million reduction in the construction footprint compared with earlier plans. "By moving that geothermal room and bringing everything back in we're projecting that between a three and four million dollar savings," Mr. Kilburn said.

The team gave updated construction-cost figures: earlier estimates at 35% design level were about $40.78 million; after 65% design and the cost optimizations they reported a revised figure near $34.77 million for construction only. The project team expects a still-more-accurate estimate when 95% drawings arrive and said permitting and procurement steps are on the near-term schedule with an early-June bid target and summer‑of‑2027 construction start for some phased work.

Consultants highlighted operating-cost comparisons to justify geothermal. The division compared Tabb to Bruton High (a sister building already geothermal), noting roughly a $120,000 annual difference in operating cost. The presenter said that, depending on long-term utility-price trajectories and lifecycle replacements, geothermal could approach a 10‑year payback and avoid major mechanical replacement costs in 20–25 years.

Solar panels are not in the base budget, but the design will be "solar‑ready" (roof membranes, structural analysis, and switchgear provisioned) so the district can add panels if future funding or incentives make that feasible.

Next steps: project team will submit 95% drawings for county permit review, continue cost-scrubbing with architects and engineers, and proceed to bid solicitation pending permits and board decisions on funding timing.