NCLUSD eyes facility projects – Gustine Press-Standard

NEWMAN - Even as it breaks ground on the first project funded by an $11 million bond re-authorization approved by voters last November, the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District is looking ahead to improvements at a number of campuses.

School board members recently authorized staff to get bids on a number of potential improvements, ranging from construction of a new classroom wing at Yolo Middle School to re-roofing of the high school.

These are the most important items to get costs on, commented Superintendent Randy Fillpot. This doesnt mean that we are going to have enough money to do all this. We have to get some numbers down. We will get an idea of the costs involved.

He said the list of potential projects was refined by the districts facilities committee and architects, and reviewed by a citizens bond oversight committee.

The list of potential projects includes a mix of new construction and renovation.

Fillpot said the district is working to be as strategic as possible in addressing facility needs. For example, he told the board, getting bids to replace all aging HVAC systems on some campuses makes more sense than replacing those units one by one as they fail.

Construction of a library/classroom wing to finish off the Hurd Barrington Elementary School campus was previously identified as a top priority - and was deemed an urgent enough need that the district committed to going forward before it knew if the bond authorization would be approved.

That project broke ground Monday.

They believe they can get the foundation piece done during spring break, Fillpot said of the contractor. They will come back at the end of the school year and start putting up the walls and trusses, and hopefully they are working inside by September.

That project, he said, will take more than $2 million of the initial $5.5 million bond series recently issued by the district. The remaining $5.5 bond series is an estimated two years out.

Board members will prioritize future projects when the bids are finalized - but two likely to be given strong consideration include the Yolo classroom wing and the Orestimba roof.

Based on the (enrollment), Yolo is probably the one that needs to be done next, Fillpot told Mattos Newspapers.

As for Orestimba, he added, there are wings where (the roof) is leaking like a sieve.

The Yolo project is estimated to carry a nearly $6 million price tag, according to the superintendent, so it may have to be timed with the second bond series. That project will qualify for state matching funds, Fillpot noted, but the district may have to wait a few years to be reimbursed.

Ultimately, Fillpot said, he is hoping the district can at least get under way with all of the top priority items identified - but it wont be known until bids are in how far the budget will stretch.

In addition to the OHS roof and Yolo wing, the district is getting bids on a remodel of the office area at Bonita; HVAC projects at Hunt, Von Renner, the OHS field house and two alternative education classrooms; fire alarm system upgrades at Von Renner, the OHS gym and Hunt; and electrical upgrades at the OHS field house and snack bar and at Bonita.

In addition, the district will get bids on potential energy efficiency projects funded through Proposition 39. Those projects include classroom window replacement in the main wings of Hunt and Von Renner, replacement of the windows in the Hunt gym and improvements at Bonita.

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NCLUSD eyes facility projects - Gustine Press-Standard