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Brush board votes to proceed with BEST grant; orders lighting audit and design work
Summary
The board voted to move forward with the Colorado BEST grant process and authorized initial work including a district lighting audit; staff warned lighting retrofits would likely cost an additional $100,000—$200,000 outside grant funding and could change HVAC sizing and total project cost.
The Brush School District No. Re-2 Board of Education voted to proceed with the Colorado BEST grant process after a staff briefing on grant terms and timing.
District staff told trustees the BEST grant requires the district to commit to the scope as written and that a signed contract with CDE (Colorado Department of Education) will follow. "If we aren't moving forward, the BEST program wants to offer those funds to another district," the staff presentation said. The board approved a motion to move forward and authorized initial BEST-related work, including an at-risk lighting inventory the grant team will perform on site the next morning.
Staff cautioned that lighting replacement is not part of the BEST award and estimated the cost for a district-wide lighting retrofit at roughly $100,000—$200,000. Board members were told a lighting decision matters because LED upgrades reduce internal heat loads and can affect HVAC sizing and total system cost. "That is not part of that BEST grant; that would be an additional $100,000 to $200,000 to replace lighting," staff said during the briefing.
Administrators also explained the design phase will produce a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for construction after roughly four months of design work. The district could stop after design if the board decides not to proceed to construction. Trustees authorized staff to complete the Best-grant pre-contract steps and directed staff to return with contract documents for board approval once the CDE contract is ready.
