Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Construction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Monroe School District trustees get construction update on new high school; budget near $101 million
Summary
District administrators told the board the new Monroe High School is largely complete, the kitchen passed health inspection, and the project shows about $550,000 uncommitted against roughly $101 million in funding; board discussed signage and cellular-coverage alternates.
Administrators Joe and Ronald told the Monroe School District Board of Education on July 13 that the new Monroe High School building is largely complete and readying for occupancy, though a punch list of finishing work remains.
"The building is largely completed," Joe said, adding that contractors are finishing interior work and that exterior signage installation is scheduled for the first week of August. Ronald said the servery and kitchen passed their health inspection, allowing staff to begin staging food-service equipment and inventory.
The administrators reviewed project funding and current balances. "We have our funding sources at the far bottom," Ronald said, and later reported, "we have nearly 101,000,000 altogether" for the project. He said the district currently shows about $550,000 in excess of committed budget lines, though owner contingencies and contractor allowances still factor into final totals.
Board members pressed for specifics on alternates and contingencies. Administrators identified wayfinding and traffic signage as a likely near-term cost (estimated around $60,000) and described a cellular-coverage booster system as one of the larger alternates, with a preliminary estimate near $200,000 that could come down if fewer coring or wiring changes are required.
Administrators also said they are working with the district's financial advisor and PMA to finalize any IRS arbitrage/rebate calculations that could modify available proceeds. "Until we actually tie out that rebate, I'm not going to change the budget numbers," Ronald said.
Other less urgent items discussed included chemistry storage consistency, an orchestra shell that was previously deemed costly, and possible student-led projects for smaller improvements such as dugout covers. Administrators emphasized weekly project meetings and ongoing coordination with contractors to close out punch-list items before the start of the school year.
Next steps: administrators said they plan to return to the board with final vendor pricing and multiple options for the cellular booster so trustees can approve a course of action at a future meeting; no construction motions were taken at the July 13 meeting.
