Chief Facilities Officer Mark Stein presented the school board with a comprehensive proposal for upcoming projects Nov. 6. He said nine buildings’ HVAC systems were updated this year, leaving Thomas Jefferson and William Penn schools, both built during the 1970s.

East Hills MS, built in 1996, and Freedom HS are in need of more extensive renovations. Freedom HS was built in 1967, with the addition of 11 classrooms and a gymnasium in 2006. The district is looking at funding options, such as grant support, to decrease costs and is considering a five-year project plan.

Stein reminded the board, “it’s never cheaper than to do it now,” as labor and material costs continue to rise.

The Board had questions regarding a prior project – Freedom HS turf replacement. The turf is seven years old with an 8-year warranty. The turf has flaws that need to be repaired while under warranty.

Several board members questioned whether the turf posed safety hazards such as tripping, but Stein reassured them that this is not an issue at this time. Turfs are predicted to last 10 years.

Stein presented the board with an energy saving update. The district started collecting its energy information in 2011 as a way to identify energy-saving opportunities (ESO). With this information the district is able to make data informed decisions regarding its energy choices. The information is submitted to Energy Star, a national energy data conglomerate that compares similar buildings with similar uses, to the amount of energy they use. Eight BASD schools qualified nationally to be among schools using less energy and received the prestigious Energy Star Label. The district will continue monitoring additional savings opportunities.

Lastly, Chief Technology Officer Marie Bachman presented an overview of what is included under the title technology, including data centers, network hardware, data center software end user hardware, cybersecurity and related training and awareness. She pointed out that maintenance, licensing and hardware supplies are recurring costs.