Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facilities Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Facilities director briefs Portsmouth School Board on rising maintenance costs, capital plan and New Franklin renovation
Summary
Facilities director Ken Lynch told the board that rising contract rates and aging systems are driving higher maintenance and capital needs, outlined sustainability gains and a decade-old solar PPA, and previewed a phased $13 million plan for New Franklin elementary and CTE planning.
Ken Lynch, the district’s director of building and grounds, told the Portsmouth School Board on Tuesday that maintenance costs are climbing and several large capital projects are approaching construction. "The size of the buildings in a whole is about 679,000 square feet," Lynch said, describing the scope of custodial and facilities responsibilities and why staffing and contract costs have risen.
Lynch said the custodial staff now totals about 31 after years of vacancies and that the maintenance budget is being driven up by higher hourly rates for contracted trades and by deferred work on aging systems. He said the district has been able to reduce elementary trash pickups by consolidating recycling and composting, and highlighted the high school solar array installed in 2016, which has produced just over 3 million kilowatt-hours since 2016 under a city PPA.
The presentation framed several capital priorities. Lynch described a phased elementary renovation program centered on New Franklin school: an initial $3 million already approved, $5 million planned for FY27 and $5 million for FY28 as part of a longer multi‑year request that will total roughly $13 million across several years to fund additions, security entrances and phased classroom moves. He said some exterior work remains unfunded and that final phasing will depend on enrollment and construction timing.
Lynch also previewed Career & Technical Education (CTE) planning, noting earlier estimates of roughly $10 million with an expectation of substantial state support and possible local bonding. "At some point over the next year, we'll have to start determining and soliciting RFQs out for qualification for architects," he said, describing the work needed to define program footprint and mechanical upgrades.
Board members pressed for detail on specific line items. In response to a question about a jump in the maintenance‑software budget (from roughly 135 to 215 on the presented spreadsheet), Lynch explained the district consolidated systems and added an emergency‑operations app (Nav360) into a central budget line. On electrical and ventilation costs, he said aging lighting and air‑handling equipment has required larger repair and replacement projects and that the district is trying to "piggyback" damper‑control work to get better value.
Lynch reported continued security and safety investments, including nearly $929,000 of grant funding obtained previously and an application for further rounds. He described plans to evaluate a blue‑light notification system for campus alerts and a multi‑year program of camera and access‑control upgrades.
On personnel, Lynch said an internal candidate will fill an open maintenance position next week, adding capacity to the department. He emphasized that some deferred maintenance has been addressed reactively during the year and that the board’s capital plan aims to shift more work into planned CIP projects.
The board did not take any formal capital‑authorization votes in the presentation; the session functioned as a workshop to identify budget drivers and priorities ahead of upcoming budget cycles and CIP discussions with the city.
