413 BOE approves capital outlay expenditures

During its monthly meeting on March 6, the USD 413 Board of Education approved funding for facilities upgrades. This included complete window replacement of Royster Middle School and renovation of a Chanute Elementary School playground.

While funding for the playground makeover will come from the district’s Capital Outlay fund, the window replacement is being paid almost entirely by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The district was previously awarded $450,000 as part of a COVID-19 testing supplies grant. KDHE later reallocated the funding, and the district chose to earmark it for one of the approved categories, increasing the quality of indoor air quality via districtwide HVAC upgrades. Leftover money from the funding is now being funneled to window replacement at RMS, allowing the district to save Capital Outlay funds.

As discussed at the December board meeting, replacement of the windows needed to meet the same KDHE criteria that the HVAC upgrades fell under. At the time, the district planned on allotting the remaining money, approximately $141,000, for the project. 

Superintendent Kellen Adams noted that the windows need to be able to open to meet those criteria, but Adams also has safety concerns pertaining to the accessibility of the windows. The double-pane windows at RMS are original to the building, circa late 1950s.

“There is energy efficiency to be gained and we will comply with (KDHE’s) fresh air requirement,” said board president Brad LaRue.

In addition to the required fresh air component, installation also entails retrofitting around the solid-finish area on the interior. A motion was approved by a 6-0 margin to use KDHE’s grant funding for the project in the amount of $123,730. Since board member Cassie Cleaver is affiliated with the Glass Depot, she recused herself from discussion and the vote. 

Of three bids that were submitted by glazing contractors, the district chose the local Glass Depot, coming in with the low bid of $114,000. The KDHE funding was initially not going to be enough to cover the entire bill, but recent adjustments made by KDHE changed that outlook.

Approved as the general contractor was Wichita-based Berumen painting, in the amount of $9,730. With that being the lone bid, Adams said he was unable to field a high level of interest for that aspect of the project.

“To be clear, the entire source of revenue is from the KDHE ELC grant,” Adams told the board. “So there is no longer a requirement from the district’s Capital Outlay.”

Adams further noted that any remaining funds after completion of the window project may be diverted to nursing staff expenditures.

“We have a wish list that is being developed by our nursing staff for items that we have not been able to yet purchase,” Adams said.

Playground facelift

Adams told the board that he was sticking with his plan to slowly roll out the list of capital outlay improvement projects. 

“Instead of bringing these all to you in May or June like we did my first year, this allows contractors to be able to properly order material and get things lined up,” he said. “This one would be an example where we have a lead time that is significant on material.”

Adams added that the district’s construction manager, Wichita-based DCS Services, wants to coordinate the installation when school is not in session. 

“And now we have to work around a very robust summer school program,” he said, “so they will have a tight window with which to fit that in.”

The playground getting the facelift is located on the north side of CES, and encompasses the most square-footage of the school’s three playground areas. The need for renovation was first identified during the district’s facility assessment three years ago. 

“That equipment is original to the building and is approaching year 15,” Adams said. “I trust that I don’t need to tell this board what the weather in Kansas will do to material that is left outside.” 

The outdated equipment poses a near immediate safety risk for students, he said. 

“You’re still able to have kids play on it, but failure to act soon would unfortunately lead us to have to start shutting down certain parts of that playground,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before it’s no longer safe.”

Adams indicated that patchwork through deferred maintenance would be cost-prohibitive to the point that it would exceed the estimate the board received for the full scope of renovations. This included brand new metal and footings for the equipment. 

“I was out there about a week ago and it definitely needs some love. There’s equipment that isn’t able to be played on right now,” said board member Heather Guernsey. “Not quite dangerous, but getting there quickly.”

The board unanimously  approved the motion, with $186,203 coming from the Capital Outlay fund. The bulk of that, $146,537, is for new equipment and installation, with Lenexa-based Athco LLC tapped as the contractor. Athco also submitted the low bid for removal of the current equipment, including the rubber mulch, with the price tag of $8,775. 

Prior to approval, it was also noted that annual inspections of the playground are required each summer. 

The board also approved the purchase of a scissor-lift in the amount of $21,490. 

“Not because we were looking to buy a new circuit scissor lift, but because it came looking for us,” Adams said. “This piece of equipment is approaching 20 years old, and has been used quite extensively by our maintenance staff on a regular basis.”

Adams told the board that he inquired into both new and used pricing. 

“You will see that the new pricing is actually very competitive,” he said, adding that the purchase comes with a warranty and annual inspection.