District operations staff presented a recommended greatest-needs capital project on May 15 that would replace heating plants in three buildings, address rooftop equipment and include a roof replacement at Shrewsbury Elementary. The estimated cost range presented to the board was $6,000,000 to $7,300,000; district staff said the work would be paid from the capital fund balance assigned for these projects.

Administrators asked the board to approve moving forward with design services from the recommended architect (Beers and Hoffman) at an anticipated fee of roughly 6 percent of construction cost and to pursue a bidding strategy using multiple prime contracts. Construction-management services would be handled through a combination of the district's operations staff and the architect's preconstruction services in order to control costs.

Board members pressed staff on sequencing and coordination questions. Several members asked whether rooftop curbs and units that the greatest-needs work would replace could be done in tandem with planned roof-replacement work, to avoid cutting into a newly installed roof later. Operations staff said some roof projects were already contracted (Southern Middle School roof grant work) and that change orders at this stage would be complicated; staff recommended proceeding with design and then refining scope to minimize future rework.

Administrators said the estimate range reflected remaining design decisions (for example, hot-water heater specification) and that the design phase would firm up the total budget before bidding. If the board approves the design engagement in June, staff said they would return with final contract documents and a bid-ready package.

Ending: The board will consider formal approval of the architect and the project budget at a future meeting after staff refines scope and sequencing.