LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Unified School Board voted unanimously at its regular meeting Wednesday night to establish its priorities for the $1.86 million in remaining unspent Measure T bond proceeds, passed by Lakeport voters in 2014.
Measure T, passed by voters in 2014, authorized the bond issuance of $17 million for a long list of capital projects, including student technology equipment, health and safety upgrades, a new central food services facility, the renovation of Westshore Pool, construction of a new library/media center and more.
With the demand on contractors and tradesmen after all of the wild fires, district officials said there was a large increase in materials and construction costs for the food services facility and the Learning Resource Center.
“These remaining projects, I believe, maximize the impact and value of remaining bond proceeds from Measure T, focusing on student safety, technology enhancements, and enrollment growth” Board President Dan Buffalo said. “This priority list honors the will of the voters for the use of bond money given to the District in 2014.”
The eight projects approved on Wednesday are listed below in order of priority:
Audio/video security monitoring and communication system: $300,000.
To monitor and protect school facilities and mitigate acts for vandalism and theft. Also important to address disruptive student behavior such as fighting.
Complete upgrades to wireless access, districtwide: $155,000.
Necessary to support new audio/video monitoring and communication system as well as significantly enhance and stabilize access to internet and cloud-based learning.
Equipment replacement and acquisition for future public safety power shutoff events: $88,450.
A new necessity given the effects to district infrastructure resulting from Pacific Gas and Electric power shutoffs. Specifically, this affects power generators and fire alarms systems.
Complete technology upgrades: $383,000.
This will provide a chromebook for every student in every classroom throughout the district as well as an upgrade to 15-year-old computers in the recording technology classroom.
Asbestos removal and replacement of flooring: $60,000.
This work will take place in five remaining classrooms at Clear Lake High for the safety of staff and students and to comply with current regulations.
Create an alternative education campus near the district office: $600,000
This project includes moving portables and obtaining Division of the State Architect-required upgrades to existing building. This improves the climate and culture for the alternative education students and removes them from their proximity to the Lakeport Elementary School campus.
Landscaping: $29,000.
Complete landscaping in front of the new Learning Resource Center at Terrace Middle School.
Project reserve of 15 percent: $242,684.
The total approximate cost of all projects is $1,858,134.
Although none of the remaining projects that were prioritized by the board during Wednesday’s meeting address the items on the original bond list that support athletics, the board reaffirmed its commitment to identifying alternatives to address the athletic facilities including renovation/construction of a pool, rebuilding the tennis courts, constructing a fitness center for classes at CLHS and air conditioning for the high school gym.
“Though I am disappointed the remaining bond money was not enough to support the construction of the pool, I support this priority list because of the strong focus on student safety and academic support through technology enhancements,” said Board member Jen Hanson.
The board expressed its optimism that the district can work with its community partners to provide access to athletic facilities for our students.
The current board considered applying a portion of the unspent bond money toward the Westshore Pool, as well as other the other athletic needs.
“It was clear to me there wasn’t enough money left to do a whole pool renovation, reconstruction project, or any other athletic facility enhancements; however, I still wanted to retain a portion that could be applied to a future project,” said Buffalo.
In the initial planning stages of the bond, it was believed that the existing Westshore Pool could be renovated to bring it up to current standards.
Once it was determined that it was no longer possible to renovate the pool, the cost estimates to construct a new pool made it not feasible to complete, the district reported.
“An opportunity has since presented itself that I believe will address the community’s concern and desire for a pool, and potentially solve several other district athletic issues without the use of available bond proceeds,” Buffalo said. “Because of this opportunity, and my strong belief in its viability, I voted to prioritize remaining bond proceeds for other much-needed projects.”
During the discussion, the board thanked the work of the Bond Prioritization Committee formed earlier in 2019, which consisted of district staff, parents and community members.
The board also recognized the efforts of Superintendent Jill Falconer and her team to research information from 2014 to provide context and narrative of the intended use of bond proceeds when originally considered by the district and community.
“This has been a long and challenging process to determine the best use of the remaining bond funds,” said Falconer. “I appreciate the patience of the board and the community to see it through. At the outset of the process, the list of items to be funded was more than could be accomplished; however, we have managed to build some amazing facilities for our students that will be a benefit for years to come. With this new list of priorities, my hope is that we continue to support the success of our students.”