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Council considers free-cash measures: seven school modulars and funding amendment for West Augusta walkway
Summary
Council opened hearings on free-cash funding for seven school modular classrooms (Hamilton, Nash, West Augusta) and an amended West Augusta walkway measure; presenters said bids and site work raised school modular costs to about $4.3 million (with a request to increase to about $4.47 million) and the walkway project needs an amended total of $2,725,558 due to change orders and site conditions.
The council heard two related funding items May 5: a request to allocate free cash for seven modular classrooms across three schools and an amended free-cash measure for the West Augusta walkway/coastal restoration project.
On modular classrooms, presenters said prior approvals authorized borrowing (~$2.95 million) and ARPA funds (~$222,000). A most-recent bid for seven modulars was awarded to Ares for a little over $3.8 million (about $540,000 per modular). Staff identified about $500,000 in additional site work (foundations, utilities, fiber and other site needs), bringing projected costs to about $4.3 million; presenters said they would request $4,470,000 to provide a contingency cushion for further site work or unexpected costs. School staff explained the modulars’ programing: fifth-grade sections and expanded special-education space at Nash; Nash will add a third kindergarten; Hamilton will increase from two to three fifth-grade sections.
For the West Augusta Walkway, staff reported an amended measure increasing the amount by $246,990 and a new total of $2,725,558. Presenters reviewed prior grant sources (a seaport economic grant and federal assistance they described as nearly $4.9 million), described that the construction contract awarded to Luciano's returned a bid of roughly $7.3 million, and outlined geotechnical issues and change orders (unsuitable clay soils requiring removal and additional rock for the revetment) that drove cost increases. Staff said project oversight is active with weekly on-site meetings and in-house monitoring and that they expect the project to finish by fall, with beaches remaining open during summer work.
Both measures were subject to discussion in the budget management committee and public hearings; the council closed the modular free-cash hearing and later recorded favorable action recommendations from the budget management committee for both measures.
