San Felipe-Del Rio CISD facilities staff presented a sustainability plan and asked the board of trustees to consider $2,957,220 in operations and facilities requests for the coming fiscal year.

The packet outlined HVAC work, fencing and campus repairs alongside athletics upgrades, furniture, technology refreshes and vehicle replacements. Facilities staff said the HVAC line item is $310,000 and listed campus-specific amounts, fencing for two campuses is estimated at about $450,000 this year, and roof repairs for multiple high‑school wings total $375,000.

Why it matters: the items are maintenance and safety‑related needs that district staff say stem from an equipment assessment and multiyear deferred work. Board members pressed for clarity on prior spending and on how the projects would be prioritized if the district does not receive all requested funds.

Facilities staff member Hector Chapa introduced the plan and described the scope: “The presentation includes, HVAC, fencing, athletics, campus furniture, asphalt, interior and exterior painting, technology refresh, service vehicles.” He told the board the HVAC figures come from an assessment completed earlier this year.

The district listed the HVAC total as $310,000 and gave campus breakdowns in the presentation: $70,000 for Del Rio High School; $30,000 for Cardwell Elementary; $35,000 for Chavita Elementary; $150,000 for Garfield Elementary; $5,000 for Lonnie Green; and $20,000 for Fermin Calderon. Chapa said those amounts derive from Schneider Electric’s condition assessment and reflect units classified as “poor” or “inadequate.”

On fencing, Chapa said facilities highlighted completed work in green and that this year’s red‑flag items are Blended Academy and Buena Vista Elementary, with an estimated combined cost of about $450,000.

Athletics requests include a full LED replacement of stadium lights (a previously presented, unfunded project) and $30,000 to renovate a gym floor at Phillips Bay Memorial Middle School. Campus furniture requests include $60,000 for San Felipe Memorial Middle School. Asphalt work includes a repeat request of about $100,000 to repave the warehouse parking area. Interior painting of Garfield and Lamar was listed at $210,000, and exterior painting at $60,000 for Buena Vista and $55,000 for Lamar.

Technology requests cited $15,000 for an MDF/IDF HVAC replacement closet and $60,000 to cover the districts 20% E‑rate contribution. Service vehicles line items included $150,000 to replace four maintenance vehicles (three quarter‑ton pickups), $90,000 for two patrol cars and $100,000 for two box trucks for the warehouse. Roof repairs were listed at $375,000 for several high‑school wings. The presenter gave the fiscal‑year total requested as $2,957,220.

Board members asked detailed follow‑ups. President Mesa and Trustee Rothfeld asked whether previous work at Garfield accounted for recent spending; facilities staff said much equipment dates to original installation in 2008 and that the district has been replacing two or three rooftop units when funds are available. Rothfeld asked whether the $600,000 figure referenced in prior years reflected work already done or requests; staff replied the assessment flagged original equipment and that work has been incremental.

Trustees also asked about vehicle specifications and whether replacement vehicles would be new or used; Chapa said the district would seek new, stripped‑down fleet trucks priced roughly in the mid‑$30,000s and would attempt to reuse ladder racks and other fittings from older vehicles.

During discussion of campus projects, facilities staff said special campus requests (for example, covered walkways or other principal requests) are tracked on a maintenance to‑do list and are usually billed to those campuses rather than included in the sustainability package.

Athletics staff flagged a planned turf project for practice fields at Santa Lupe Memorial and Garfield Middle School. Chapa said the geotechnical study was contracted below the board‑approval threshold; the district will need a special‑call meeting to approve design and construction contracts as those steps exceed the threshold. The board later moved to indefinitely table the consent item that would have asked approval for geotechnical work that staff said did not require board approval.

Staff also reported safety and health items: district athletics has AEDs and carries epinephrine for events; a nurse secured a program that provides EpiPens at no charge; custodial chemicals are kept under lock in custodial closets and in unused portables; and transportation staff will address concerns about an older CTE bus at the bus yard that has a broken rear window and open doors.

Board next steps: trustees discussed reviewing the sustainability workbook and considering whether to use fund balance for high‑priority items. Administration said it will present an interactive workbook in the coming weeks and that some requests may be funded from fund balance if the board chooses.