Board hears bond-funded capital update: lighting, playgrounds, demo and $1M in premium

Matt Nye gave a detailed capital-projects update, explaining the district split its facility-maintenance master plan into six bid packages to sequence design and construction. He said design professionals have begun work on package one and a 20%-complete design deliverable is due the following week. Package two (abatement and demolition) documents were released for bids, with a site walk scheduled July 29 and bids due August 12; staff will recommend a contractor at the August board meeting.

Nye reported visible progress on field lighting and playgrounds: poles are set on the football field, underground electrical work is being tied in, and the softball field work should resume once the ground firms. He told the board crews encountered rock at several pole locations and used a diamond-tip auger to drill through; despite that, staff expect early August completion and an August 29 owner training. On playgrounds, crews uncovered and replaced blocked drains, installed a larger grate and 500 feet of drain sock to improve drainage and expected turf and foam safety base the following week.

On financing, Nye said the bond sale produced a premium and investment earnings that together left the district with about $1 million of discretionary funds to allocate across the six packages as bids are locked in. "You still have a million dollars to play with," Nye told the board, noting that two packages were nearly locked and others would be updated as contractor pricing arrives. Staff will present updated rolled-up spreadsheets and more-detailed cost allocation at the August meeting.