City staff provided a brief Capital Improvements Program update Monday that reinserted HVAC replacement funding into the CIP and updated cost estimates for athletic-field projects.

Staff told the board that HVAC line items were re-added to the CIP estimates to ensure the district can address critical systems; staff said HVAC replacement and repairs appear across the four schools and that replacement decisions will be driven by units reaching end-of-useful-life and work-order histories. “We added the HVAC back in,” a staff presenter said.

The board discussed two athletic-field items. Staff reported an updated estimate of approximately $750,000 to replace the turf on the main football field (the amount used in prior planning and previously paid about a decade ago), and an estimate of roughly $2.5 million to reconfigure and install a turf surface on the softball field site if additional infrastructure work is required. Staff described the $2.5 million figure as an approximate option that includes more extensive site work; converting a different grass field to serve as the softball field could raise costs to about $3.5 million because of added infrastructure needs.

Board members asked about athletics scheduling and Title IX implications while turf is replaced and raised questions about maintenance responsibilities when FCPS maintains some systems after renovation. The board also discussed how some maintenance items will transition from the CIP to the operating (maintenance) budget as part of a broader operationalization plan: staff said the top maintenance section of the CIP will move to the city’s operational budget in future years, but funds already appropriated remain available for currently planned capital work.

Other highlights:

- Staff noted an HVAC surplus and said FY2026 funding covers planning through June 2026; any work after that depends on further appropriations.

- Staff recommended using vetted project-management consultants from procurement lists to provide construction oversight as needed and said the city has included a 3% project-management line in the project budgets.

- Board members asked staff to prepare a horizon report showing which HVAC units are at or near end of life and to review work-order histories to prioritize replacements.

Staff closed the CIP discussion by saying these are estimates and that final project scopes and timing will be defined as funding decisions are made.