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Parents and a teacher urge no rebid for Fremont rebuild; board clarifies community meetings and architect role
Summary
A Fremont Elementary teacher urged the district not to rebid plans she says HKIT already completed, warning a rebid would delay the rebuild and increase costs; the board confirmed HKIT is architect of record and said community design meetings can be added at the district's request while trying to avoid schedule delays.
A Fremont Elementary teacher and community members pressed the Antioch Unified board to avoid rebidding the Fremont rebuild and to ensure inclusive community engagement in the design process.
Laura Boet, a TK teacher at Fremont Elementary, told the board she understood the project had been moved from phase three to phase one and urged the district not to delay construction by rebidding work she said HKIT had already completed. "Please do not delay the rebuilding of Fremont any longer and risk further unnecessary costs," she said during the consent-item discussion.
Board members and staff confirmed that HKIT (appearing in the packet as the architect of record) provided preliminary plans for Fremont. Staff said the contract currently includes a maximum of four design meetings with district personnel; community meetings and additional stakeholder sessions are not included in the base contract but can be added at the district's request, typically at additional cost. Trustees directed staff to arrange inclusive community engagement that respects Spanish-speaking families and school staff while being mindful of the project schedule.
In a separate consent-item discussion, board members reviewed a lease-transfer agreement for a commercial property associated with district land (Hillcrest/Deer Valley area). John Mitchell (representing a prior owner) and a prospective Bay Area purchaser (Mr. Shaw) described the property as largely leased (McDonald's, bank and other retail) and said their plan is to maintain quality tenants and quickly fill a single vacancy. Board members asked about occupancy rates and tenant stability; buyers said occupancy across comparable Bay Area holdings averages roughly 85–95%.
The board approved the broader consent calendar, including the architect agreement and lease-transfer items, by voice vote. Trustees asked staff to provide documentation of community engagement activities already completed for Fremont and to propose additional meetings so principals, teachers and families can review design options before final schematics are locked in.
