Neenan shares $36 million project proposal to address RE-1 Valley schools needs – Sterling Journal-Advocate

Work on the facilities master plan has shown that schools in RE-1 Valley have pressing needs that must be addressed. At a school board meeting Monday, Neenan Archistruction presented a $36.6 million project proposal to address some of those needs.

No decision has been made on whether to move forward with the proposal, which focuses on safety and security as well as health needs and major maintenance needs. Phase one work would include safety and security improvements such as entrance and drop-off area improvements, playground safety improvements, career and technical education (CTE) safety improvements and secure doors and windows, as well as facility maintenance needs including stormwater system improvements, asphalt repair and mechanical system upgrades.

Caliche School would have the most work, as it has a lot of deferred maintenance. The total cost would be $11,220,188, including $1 million in CTE improvements, such as adding an eyewash/shower, handwash sink and dust collection system to the agricultural shop to bring it up to code, $1 million in improvements to the site’s entrances and parking lot and a $7 million HVAC system replacement for the entire building, minus the gymnasium.

Additionally, work at Ayres Elementary would total $7,275,400, which would include a $4.8 million HVAC system replacement, and the cost of the Sterling High School portion of the project would be $7,225,050 and would include $1.2 million in CTE improvements, $1.4 million in parking and site entrance improvements and a $2.6 million HVAC system replacement for classrooms in the west wing of the building.

The work at Campbell would include replacing the HVAC system in the north-facing classroom wings, as well as security upgrades to the main entrance and parking lot improvements and would total $2,249,400.

Sterling High School and the Hagen Early Education Center would have the least work to do, totaling $590,800 and $1,493,300 respectively. That’s because those buildings might not be part of the district’s long-term planning. According to David Kurz, lead architect, when Neenan presented options for long-term planning that would help address the need for more classroom space at Ayres, there was a resounding alignment by the administrative team to consider at some point in the future converting SHS into a 6-12 or 7-12 grade building, with the preschool, Affective Needs program and district offices moving to SMS and the district closing Hagen.

Work at both schools would include security improvements at the front entrance, SMS work would also include fencing around the front playground and soccer field, and at Hagen, there would be a reconfiguration of sidewalks to address drainage issues and improvements to the northeast parking lot.

“We all see the need, just look at the facility from the outside,” said Dr. Foster when talking about why he sees this project as necessary.

Board Member Ronda Monheiser asked about the HVAC project that is currently underway, which was paid for with ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Aid) III funds. Superintendent Dr. Martin Foster explained that this is an automation system that will communicate with all of the buildings at once and allow district maintenance staff to see each of the buildings, but it will not replace any of the equipment. Neenan said that while that new system could help alleviate some of the issues schools are facing with classrooms being too hot or cold, it does not address the fact that HVAC equipment typically has a 20-year lifespan and some of the RE-1 equipment has hit that mark and needs to be replaced.

Neenan will analyze the results of the automation system to better determine what HVAC work is needed. Kurz also noted that the current HVAC work will be helpful if RE-1 decides to apply for a BEST grant to help fund the project because it shows they are not asking for BEST money to fund everything.

The proposal includes new playgrounds for some schools, prompting board member Heath Harris to ask about the Tiger Cubs PTA’s efforts to raise money for new playgrounds in Hagen, Ayres and Campbell. Leah Lamkin, Neenan’s business development manager, said that would be part of community listening sessions they would hold to hear what the community is already doing and what it would like to see.

Neenan also presented options for how the district could pay for the $36,600,168 project, noting that the total dollar amount could decrease if there are certain things the district decides it doesn’t want to do at this time.

One option would be to apply for a BEST grant of $19,032,104, which would require a 48% match from the district, or $17,568,096. This is a highly competitive grant with priority given to safety and health issues. The district will need to inform the state that it intends to apply for a BEST grant by November; the grant application is due the first week of February, and awards will be announced in mid-May.

Neenan is able to provide BEST grant support services to the district at a cost of $19,400.

The district could also apply for Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) grants, which would require a community entity to lead the application; energy grants; and other grants for specific work areas: mechanical, IT, and CTE.

In addition, RE-1 has a capital reserve of $450,000, of which $153,000 is allocated annually to this reserve and it could allocate $200,000 to this project. In addition, other options include a local bond or a bank loan. RE-1’s bond issuance capacity is $47 million and its current debt is $7.19 million, bringing its remaining capacity to $39.8 million.

The board was asked to consider whether it wants to move forward with the project and apply for a BEST grant now or wait until a new superintendent is in place.

“I think it’s really important that we get input from the community and staff, and it looks like we have a very tight deadline to get that done before Thanksgiving,” Monheiser said.

Kurz said community meetings would need to be held this month and in late October, but he believes it is feasible.

While he was unsure about pursuing the grant this year, board member Joel McCracken suggested at least moving forward and getting community input to determine if there is buy-in for this project, which he felt was necessary.

“These are improvements that probably needed to be made 20 years ago and there comes a time when you have to invest in your buildings, you have no choice, you can’t sit there and just keep putting this off all the time,” he said, adding that “if the community sees that we are willing to invest the money and time into these schools, maybe parents will start to trust us more.”

A copy of the full project proposal can be found here.

While the board will discuss the project further at its Sept. 16 meeting, there is an opportunity now for the community to provide input on the superintendent search through a survey posted on the district’s website, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RE1ValleyCO.