District hears draft facility assessment, moves ahead with construction adviser amid bond contingency

Consultants working for the Maplewood‑Richmond Heights School District presented a draft facility condition assessment and a proposed construction adviser arrangement during the board’s March meeting.

Steve Raskin of Quergan Clark told the board the assessment is data‑driven and still in draft form, and that the team documented immediate needs, short‑term projects and longer‑term reserves. "This is only a draft document at this point," Raskin said, describing a process that catalogs site, envelope, roofing, interiors and mechanical/electrical systems and produces a 20‑year reserve schedule. He summarized the draft reserve costs as immediate items (~$120,200), short‑term items in the low millions, and long‑term needs that, when escalated for inflation, drove a multi‑tens‑of‑millions cost estimate.

District staff and trustees said they value the planning data but emphasized prudence. One board member asked which projects were ready to begin and was told some small projects are ready, while major work would be sequenced and remain contingent on voter approval of a bond.

Separately, staff described the RFP process that narrowed four firms to two finalists and recommended hiring Navigate as a construction adviser. Navigate representatives described a capped fee arrangement (presented as roughly $14,500 per month as a cap for time and materials on some services), and outlined services including preconstruction planning, bid review, architect selection and construction oversight. Ray Hutsell of Navigate described the firm as "an extension of your staff" that can scope projects and manage bids; the presenter added that some savings on change orders in past projects offset consultant fees.

Several trustees said they were open to the adviser if its work is limited to clearly defined, bond‑related tasks and made conditional on bond passage. "If the bond passes, then I'd be much more open to the services," one trustee said, asking staff to minimize recurring costs if the district’s capital funding is uncertain.

The board approved selecting the construction adviser as part of its action items. Staff said the assessment and consultant input will inform which projects move forward immediately if the bond measure succeeds and which projects should be deferred and phased over time.

What’s next: staff will use the facility assessment and adviser planning to refine bond project lists, sequence work, and incorporate the reserve schedule into multi‑year budgeting and maintenance planning.