001good evening. You are listening to the Augusta Board of Education special meeting on Wednesday, May 27th, 2026 at about 6:36 p.m. My name is Rita Pillow and I'm just filling in for Chair Witham. He could not be here tonight. This special meeting is followed a meeting we just had with our architecture firm partners and the subcommittee with the with representation as teachers and parents. The committee that we've been working on for our building construction. So our special meeting tonight is going to be for the vote for all of the information that we just received. So before I call to order and we officially discuss the budget and vote on it for the specifically to the construction project. Just want to mention that if you are interested as a listener and as a community member on
002what the budget how a budget is created for a school construction project specifically ours. The process that our architects and the subcommittees have gone through with the State Board of Education and the State Department. If you're interested in that and you want to know more details, you can follow it on the website and you can watch the 527 business committee school construction committee meeting for May 27th. We had a hour-long discussion just previously. We talked about how those budgets are created and the next steps for referendum which would be in November to vote to approve the state funded building renovation project at the Farrington site. So just wanted to give folks that context and there is more information on the website as we are very excited to bring the community into this. For right now,
003we will do a call to order for who's here at the special meeting tonight. Again, I'm Rita Pillow member at large and I'll move to my left. >> Charlie Hicks, member at large. >> Gina Last, business manager. >> Shelby Civitello, assistant superintendent. >> Mike Crissy, superintendent of schools. >> Caitlin Arbegast, director of technology. >> Sam Baker, Ward 1. >> Susan Parks, Ward 2. >> Bobby Jo Bishop, Ward 4. >> And our architects are here still in case we have more questions, so you guys can introduce yourselves again. >> Cathy Cogan with CHA. >> Robin Tannenbaum with CHA. >> And >> John Stonier, director of buildings and grounds. >> Great. Okay. So, if we only have one agenda item and it's new business, um happy to entertain a motion. Um Member Parks. >> I make a
004motion to approve the concept design cost estimate for the expansion of Farrington School. >> Do you want to add the values? >> Oh, yes. The project budget is 54.6 to 57 million dollars. >> Do I hear a second? >> I second. >> Um discussion um on the school construction budget. What Superintendent Tracy, do you want to summarize to them? >> Sure. Thank you. This This has been about a two-year process. Good evening, everyone. Um we've worked really diligently. Our architects have been working very diligently the last few months um and putting some draft floor plans together. We've worked through last month uh with the building committee, saw those floor plans. Um we've worked with the state department. Scott Brown, who is the director of facilities at the Department of Education, has been a really exhaustive
005process. Um so, it's sort of like a lot of work gets done and then we swoop in and tell the building committee monthly and then swoop out and and then and the that work continues. Um I I kudos to the team here. Um Shelby, Janine, John uh are right along go ride and involved [clears throat] with all of those meetings as well. Um I just wanted to mention that the board last month at your board meeting prior excuse me, this month prior to in this month approved the concept approval. So, that gave you So, you've seen in in general the designs uh scope of the project all the the renderings of the external renderings of the parking, bus loops, you've seen all of that. Um what they've been working on this last month is to
006get you to where you're at tonight. I I would say we're 99% uh complete with the budget that was presented to you tonight, which is why we're in that range of 50 54.6 million to 57 million giving us a little bit of wiggle room to work through those final numbers. There's everything from advertising and the bid process they mentioned to multiple other contingencies and things that they need to work in the budget um including the estimations on what thing you know, what the price of an elevator will be in 2 years for example as they spoke about. I I want the public to remember this is probably the most important thing and we'll continue to say this that this is a state funded project. Um after the budget process we just underwent I think member
007Parks mentioned this earlier. It's really important for folks to know that a state funded project means that when you approve this and it goes out to referendum in November that the Augusta taxpayers will be voting to borrow money to the to the tune of 54.6 to 57 million in the form of a bond or bonds and then the state pays us that money back annually on our ED-279. And just like they're currently doing with Cony I think next year's the last year of the Cony payment on the Cony building. So, just like that now at the Coney building, there was a small amount of money that was borrowed locally. We're not looking to do that with the fair building project. So, again, it is a state-funded, meaning the money is as Mr. Stonier said, the
008money is coming from the state and if Augusta decides, well, we we don't want to do this free project free project, but a state-funded project, then that money would go to another school department. somewhere else in the state. So, it's really this is an opportunity that I I wholeheartedly believe we need to take advantage of as a community and it will be something that outlives all of us, a better school facility for this for the city of Augusta. >> I'm >> [clears throat] >> personally very excited about that exact prospect that we're going to have a school building that is going to set our students up for success and our staff for success. And it was it was good to hear that the project per square foot has come in to what our architects would
009have considered. There in the conversation we previously had, there was nothing that was shocking or out of norm for sort of typical we are going to have 80,000 square square foot school where we're going to be able to have sort of the services and the programs that our community needs. Any questions or other comments? Anything that we you that you guys think we publicly should say before we take the vote on on the budget? >> I think I think Mr. Tracy nailed it. This is a once in a well, for Augusta, uniquely a twice in a generation opportunity because very rarely does the state fund multiple projects in one community. But this is you you have benefited from the state twice potentially uh this project, and I think that that is it is rare um
010and and it is a an amazing opportunity to to really set yourselves up for success. You've you've been very successful with your Cony Middle School High School, and now you now you're taking care of your um elementary grade level students, which is phenomenal. >> Yeah, different population of kids that are going to be served with this renovation. >> Mhm. >> Um other comments or questions from board members or or staff before we take a vote. It's a big deal vote, so I want to give it the space, but I know we've been through a couple years. So, yeah, Member Parks. >> Well, just um the school district and the State Board of Education, as well as the Department of Education, have been working very closely on this project from the get-go and [clears throat] have
011been communicating effectively and regularly with each other. So, the State Board of Education, Department of Education, are not are with us all the time through this, and you can see this on our website as Member Pelo stated. So, this is an extraordinary opportunity for our district to have a beautiful school that will now include three and four-year-olds, uh as well as grades K through six. Thank you. >> Yeah, Member Parks. >> I think it's a tremendous opportunity to take um money from the state and use it to improve the lives of the children of Augusta and um and help with business. I mean, these folks are coming to do construction. They're going to stop and buy gas. They're going to, you know, >> Economic development. >> economy. It's it's a win-win situation. >> Yeah. >>
012Yep. >> Thank you. You can go forward. >> And I think I appreciated too just the details around some of the contingency plans, the air quality monitoring, some of those tiny things that made it clear where this budget comes from. Um because the one sort of piece that we're all going to have to sort of understand as a community, too, is that staff and students are going to feel the impact of the construction um and also benefit tremendously from it. So, it's going to be a both and and we're going to bring everybody along um but it it's it's a very exciting opportunity to have have this for our for our kids um in the district. Anything member member Baker, anything member Bishop? >> No. >> All right. Well, I know we're in discussion, so
013um Kent, let's vote. Uh do I vote do we do yes? >> All in favor. And do I do I vote? >> Um yes. >> Yes. Okay, all in favor. All right. Uh any opposed? Seeing none, uh the motion passes 5 to 0. Yes. >> Wow, that's exciting. >> That's exciting. All right. Not every day is something big like that. Um and I think if that is all besides a thank you and uh we're excited for this journey and for our kids um and yeah, please community should know they can reach out and find information and be part of this in any capacity that they'd like to be. Um so, thank you all and I think that will leave us adjourned. >> Let's build this school. >> You said adjourned.