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Before breaking ground on the new science building at Foothill High School, the Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees increased funding to add another building as part of the project.
In short, the district will use $3 million from the Measure I1 program contingency to temporarily fund the budget increase until reimbursed by state funding expected to arrive next year.
Several design amendments were recently made to the building at Foothill, but an additional two-story building concept was floated during the project’s initial design phase in relation to a second career technical education (CTE) grant application for the engineering department. But the grant wasn’t approved and drawings for the second building remained unfinished due to lack of funds.
John Chwastyk, the district’s executive director of facilities, construction and bond program, told the board at its Oct. 22 regular meeting, “It’s actually just a budget shift, but to be refunded by the CTE funding once it is received by the district, so we will not be taking long-term out of the program contingency.”
Funding sources including Measure I1 revenue were considered for fulfilling the district’s vision of two buildings for engineering, science and computer instruction, as well as CTE state funding. Measure I1 does not have enhanced scope for CTE health science and medical technology (HSMT) and engineering.
PUSD applied for both grants but was only awarded a $3 million HSMT grant from the state; the grant money is expected to be received “some time in 2021.”
The CTE application for the engineering grant has since been accepted, and bids for the construction at Foothill — as well as Amador Valley High School — came in approximately $2.8 million under budget.
Because of the under-budget bids and grant funding, the board increased the project budget by $349,108 and added the second building to the project scope.
The second building will have 2,900 square feet for an engineering workshop resembling a “maker type with roll up doors for increased collaboration,” plus a science prep room, department office, support spaces, restrooms, and storage.
Design is expected to take approximately two years, with the building opening by fall 2022, one year after the first building is completed.
The board and other cabinet members celebrated the beginning of the first phase of construction on the Measure I1-funded Foothill project at a groundbreaking ceremony that was livestreamed Oct. 29. The event also marked the start of another science building planned at Amador Valley.
A $180,008 contract for field renovation work at Harvest Park and Hart middle schools was also issued at the same meeting.
An informal bid notice for work at the sites was posted in September, as were notices for Hearst and Vintage Hills elementary schools, and Foothill and Amador Valley — all seeking prepared bids for turf field improvements.
The district received an over budget bid for the high schools, three bids for Hart and Harvest Park, and four bids for Hearst and Vintage Hills. Two bids for the elementary schools were rejected due to incomplete documents, while the next lowest bidder was over-budget.
Staff was also “toying with the idea of putting a cricket field at either Harvest Park but ended up having a more favorable area at Alisal,” according to Chwastyk, who added “we got a good bid” from one contractor.
However, Alisal “will not have the cricket field until fundraising is done to actually fund that portion,” Chwastyk said. “I’m not sure when that will happen but it will be in the future, after the Alisal fields restorations.”
The board also signed off on a $180,008 agreement with Westside Landscaping and Concrete for field renovations at Hart and Harvest Park, and rejecting all other bids for the elementary and high schools.
Work will be completed using routine restricted maintenance funds.
