Architect outlines $6.2M–$8M project scenarios for Lakeland Intermediate School, flags HVAC, roof and facade needs

Kyle Kiefaber of KRM Architecture presented the district with a menu of projects and three cost tiers as the board considered bond funding for facility upgrades.

Kiefaber described the presentation as a high-end “book” of options and said the list is intended to show what a full project might include. On playgrounds, he proposed relocating the Wilkins Mills playground to the primary school and installing age-appropriate, accessible equipment; price estimates included $225,000 for a new Wilkins Mills playground and about $125,000 for each primary-school playground, with an estimated $250,000 allowance to cover relocation and related site work and a $25,000 civil-engineering fee.

On mechanical systems, Kiefaber said the primary-school chiller plant uses a refrigerant that is no longer manufactured and is past its useful life; facility studies estimated $650,000 plus engineering for replacement, while KRM’s team judged $450,000 plus engineering fees as a conservative planning figure with a recommended 5% annual escalation assumption. For Lakeland Intermediate School HVAC, the facility study estimated a full replacement cost around $8.1 million; district engineer Jason Baker’s internal estimate was $6 million–$7 million and KRM suggested phasing the work (phase 1 estimated at roughly $1.75M–$2M) so critical systems could be addressed first.

Roof work at the intermediate school produced two pathways: a full rip-off and replacement (quoted in a facility report at about $4.2M for 95,000 square feet) and a recover approach using EPDM roofing (rough planning figure about $600,000) that can be less expensive but carries risks of trapped moisture. Kiefaber urged further core investigation to determine what is under the existing roof membrane before selecting an approach.

For the building exterior, Kiefaber showed three facade options—insulated metal panels, a metal-panel system with furring and weather barrier, or fiber-cement panels (a cost-effective alternative to brick). Price scenarios ranged from approximately $1.1M for a full fiber-cement replacement up to higher figures for full replacement options; KRM’s high-end aggregate for the primary-school playgrounds, chiller plant, LIS roof, secure entrance, HVAC phase 1 and façade work reached about $8.0M, while a planning target using lower-cost options came to approximately $6.2M–$6.35M.

Board members pressed on priorities and cost containment. One member urged caution about spending taxpayer dollars on playground equipment that benefits a small number of students; the architect and administration emphasized the proposal is a menu of options and many items can be scaled or phased. Administration noted previous uses of ESSER funds and other internal dollars to complete work when the bond did not cover full costs.

Kiefaber said that the bond package could be flexible and that, depending on contingencies and contractor pricing, the board could reduce or remove items from the bond scope as necessary. He recommended continued coordination between administration, design professionals and the underwriter to finalize a project scope consistent with the district’s bond capacity and priorities.

The board then opened the formal public-hearing period but had no signed public commenters for this topic.