Linda Lyon
The campus may be closed for now, but coordination and planning for Oracle School District (OSD) bond projects continues behind the scenes. The goal—deliver maximum return on your investment in terms of student and staff safety, student achievement, and operational efficiency.
To meet that goal, in March our Governing Board approved the selection of H2 Group as our project management firm for our bond projects. The unanimous pick out of the three firms interviewed, the H2 Group will work with BWS Architects and our eventual construction management firms to deliver projects that meet the needs of our students while staying within the voter-approved scopes. The Governing Board is confident the combined expertise and experience of these highly skilled firms will increase our ability to ensure expert stewardship and careful oversight of both taxpayer dollars and student-centered deliverables.
For now, both groups are gaining clarity about the districts’ specific needs, and BWS Architects is developing a master plan that will guide design and timelines for all projects. This master plan was deemed a critical step to ensure new additions or changes to the campus are designed in a way that maximizes space utilization and increases synergy. One example is a look at whether or not creative space utilization, combined with a smart construction timeline, can prevent the need for temporary classroom rentals. This obviously will save considerable funds that can be applied to the projects themselves.
Speaking of funds, we understand some of our constituents are interested in purchasing bonds offered by the District to fund these projects. Stifel, a top bond underwriter for K-12 public school districts, is providing the district market-driven guidance to ensure bond sales delivery for our students. We anticipate a bond, or multiple bonds, may be offered around mid-June. Those interested in purchasing bonds will be offered the opportunity to buy directly from Stifel and can start the process by contacting Mike Hemken at 602-952-2500 or [email protected]. They also may work through their own investment company to make the purchases.
At the same time, we are working with the State Facilities Board (SFB) to install new cafeteria flooring and replace the roofing on the gymnasium and several classrooms. We’ve already replaced the bleachers in the gymnasium with SFB funding, and are pleased these other long-standing needs will now be addressed.
This year already has been challenging for everyone. Now, our Governing Board and District Administration are working hard to ensure our bond projects enhance our campus, while causing minimal future disruption to our students and operations. Please watch for more information in this and other publications as well as on the OSD website, osd2.org.