Board told buried power line and ash in soils are delaying Horticulture building; early cost estimate ~$50,000

The Smith Vocational Agricultural High School superintendent told trustees on July 23 that crews preparing the new Horticulture building site unearthed a main electrical feed running through the exact footprint of the planned structure and several feet of ash and organic material in multiple test pits, problems that will require rerouting utilities and replacing unstable soils.

"None of the site plans had the official location of where that power line happened to be," Dr. Lincoln Hooker said, describing the discovery as an unforeseen site condition. He told the board the project team considered three routing options for the feed — running it along the football field edge, down Farm Road, or hugging the hill at the building perimeter — and that the team was moving toward the hill‑base option as the most cost‑effective and least disruptive alternative. "I'd be foolish to leave the line under the building," he said.

Laboratory testing of soil samples identified the problematic material as ash rather than petroleum contamination. "The organic matter that we identified was basically ash," Dr. Hooker said, adding that the ash and other soft organic soils lack the bearing capacity needed to support a building foundation and therefore must be excavated and replaced with engineered fill.

The superintendent provided an early, unofficial combined estimate for rerouting the electric feed and completing required site work of "probably upwards of $50,000," and noted the district's project contingency is intended to cover unknowns. "That's built into our budget," he said, while cautioning the estimate was preliminary.

Project managers and the on‑site electrician told trustees that moving from copper to aluminum wiring was being evaluated as a potential cost saving, though board members asked for additional engineering review because aluminum conducts electricity differently than copper. Architects (SMMA) also asked the contractor to price several sprinkler redesign options for the classroom side of the building to reduce costs while meeting code.

Trustees discussed options for reusing excavated material on campus to avoid high disposal and testing fees. Dr. Hooker said reburial on school property could be permissible if the material is not hazardous and is properly managed; he warned, however, that on‑site screening and sorting to remove metal debris would require additional labor and equipment and might not be feasible within the job site footprint.

School officials said they would have a more complete cost and route decision within days and that other savings (a shorter fiber run and a potentially lower generator price) could offset some remediation costs. The board asked staff to keep them updated at weekly construction meetings and noted the project contingency would be monitored if the estimate grows.

Next steps include obtaining firm quotes from the general contractor and engineers for the chosen routing and for soil remediation, and returning to the board with a refined cost and schedule update.