Coraggio Consulting
City of Fairfax School Board Special Meeting, Monday, April 13, 2026

Date: Monday, April 13, 2026
Place: City Hall, City of Fairfax, Virginia
Length: 1h 12m (video)
Official meeting video (city, Granicus): https://fairfax.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=13&clip_id=4518
Agenda: https://fairfax.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=13&clip_id=4518
Minutes: https://fairfax.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=13&clip_id=4518&doc_id=43edfb04-38d6-11f1-bb28-005056a89546

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-12. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:00] all right good evening ladies and gentlemen tonight is monday april 13th 2026 this is a special meeting of the city of fairfax school board please stand for the pledge of allegiance i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all okay we do not have any changes to the agenda or any announcements so the first item is the adoption of the agenda

[00:00:33] may have a motion please madam chair miss kelsey i move that the city of fairfax school board adopt the agenda as written and distributed uh may have a second second miss kelsey moved ms hickman seconded all those in favor signify by saying aye aye none opposed the motion passes unanimously okay the next is presentations of school board and we do not have anybody signed up for citizen participation so we will move right into dr wright's presentation of elementary renovation

[00:01:06] updates. Dr. Wright. Good afternoon, Chair Pitches and the City of Fairfax School Board. It's great to be with you and good afternoon to any members of our public that are here in attendance. We are here today for an important discussion that I was asked to prepare with from direction from our school board around our capital projects here in the City of Fairfax Schools, specifically on our elementary schools and the current path that we're on with them and any discussion that we want to

[00:01:41] have about that. Before we begin, I would like to introduce two guests, two really great partners with the City of Perfect Schools. We have Miss Molly Merlot from Mosley, who were in the conceptual design phase at Daniel's Run Elementary School, and Molly and her team from Mosley are leading that work, so a big thank you to Molly for being here. And then Miss Allison Legge, who is leading the design efforts from Architecture, Inc., and they are the design firm that we awarded the contract to last fall for the work on Providence Elementary School. I'd also like to take a minute

[00:02:17] to thank Ms. Carrie Dorsey and Ms. Barb King for all their support in helping this presentation come together. This afternoon's discussion is going to focus on our elementary school capital program. This is a continuation of the work from the 2023 facilities conditions assessment and the 2024 bond referendum that was voted on by the city residents here in the city of Fairfax. And our goal for the discussion today is to review the current path that we're on, discuss any potential options that the board would like to consider and to ask the board to provide clarity on the direction we want to continue on moving forward. I want to start by taking a few minutes to review

[00:02:54] the agenda for our time together this afternoon. We'll begin by walking through the key questions before the board this afternoon. We'll briefly revisit some of the goals of a capital program and how we arrived at our current path. We'll look at some of the options including financial implications and trade-offs and then we'll talk about some of the possible procurement approaches and other key considerations in front of this board and then finally we'll close with the next steps and any discussion that the board would like to engage in. So as you see on the screen before you today there are two key questions that this conversation will center around. First should we

[00:03:33] stay on our current path of renovations at our elementary schools with small additions and if not what should change? To be really clear this is a directional decision not a final design approval. We're not picking paint colors or tile colors or even anything related to the design of either of these projects. It's about is this the path that the City of Prefect Schools wants to move forward with. Clarity at this stage is important to avoid delays, added costs, and potential inefficiencies. Now on the screen before you, you'll see some of the things that

[00:04:09] school boards and other public entities consider at the outsets of major capital programs like this, And it's critical to clearly define the outcomes that a group is seeking to achieve as those goals drive decisions related to scope, design, cost, and timeline. While this work here in the City of Fairfax is already underway, the current decision point today presents an important opportunity to reconfirm and, if needed, refine these goals before proceeding any further into the design and procurement process.

[00:04:39] And establishing clarity now will help ensure that the selected path fully aligns with the board's long-term vision for both of these projects. As part of the decision today, the board should consider some of these core objectives and the current direction of these projects and the level of alignment between the current direction and these considerations.

[00:05:00] So when you're thinking about a big capital project like this, there are lots of different things to consider, but we could anchor ourselves in some of these potential goals for a project like this. Some of those goals could be meeting capacity needs now and into the future, eliminating modular buildings, supporting strong and evolving instructional programming, thinking about what are the needs of our schools today and then what are the needs of our schools 10, 20, 30 years from now, ensuring that flexibility for future use, thinking about our sustainability and wellness objectives here in the city of Fairfax, but also what do we want in these buildings, and then maintaining overall cost effectiveness.

[00:05:39] So different options prioritize these goals differently. So trade-offs can be expected. Now I want to, before we dive into some of the information on where we currently are, just take a quick moment to review how we got here. And I think as this board knows, but for the public, in 2023, the board worked with Moseley to do a facilities conditions assessment on all four of our buildings and green acres.

[00:06:08] That work identified the need for systemic renovations at our elementary schools. Following that FCA process, the voters approved a $220 million bond in 2024, and based on that direction that came out of the FCA and the bond work, design contracts were awarded in 2025 that were focused on systemic renovations and small additions at both of our elementary schools.

[00:06:34] The current path that you're going to hear about today reflects that original plan and investment by this board and by our community. So we'd like to take a little bit up the numbers of where we currently are today. The current program, and this is very similar to what was messaged to the public during the bond process, is a renovation and some small additions at Daniel's Run, the same thing at Providence Elementary School, and then an allocation of some funding for the replacement of the roof at Fairfax High School.

[00:07:08] The costs that you see in front of you today are based on estimates from February of 2026, But I would just remind the board that these are estimates and that in a fluid situation that they are estimates. And we could potentially see movement in those.

[00:07:25] So thinking about the overall context of this is, I think, something important for us to do. And you can also see in the final column the expected timelines. And these are with if we stay on our current path and our current course. But, again, these are estimated timelines, and there's always the potential for unexpected delays in any of them.

[00:07:47] I want to spend a little more time talking about breaking down the elementary projects. And so we know what goes into those numbers. On the previous slide, you saw just a little over $80 million for Daniel's run. So let's break that down a little bit more in terms of what the current estimates, how that number breaks down.

[00:08:08] So you're going to see what is very typical for large construction projects, especially in the public sector. You're going to see a breakdown of hard costs, soft costs, contingencies, and then F, F, and E. Let me talk a little bit about each of those. Our hard costs are any of the actual construction costs.

[00:08:26] So it's the site work that needs to happen in the building. It's the actual demolition of parts of our building. It's the construction of new parts. The soft costs are typically design fees. their permitting fees, their work that, it's work that does not involve big equipment, big machinery, but is a critical part of the process. What's typically standard in all of our cost modeling that was done by a firm called Forella, they typically recommend a owner's contingency of 15% of the hard cost. So when you look at that hard cost number in the second row,

[00:09:03] they recommend saying 15% of that is what you should keep around for a contingency. and so that's how we've derived those numbers there and then ffme is our furniture our fixtures and our equipment so in a school setting you want to be thinking about your chairs your tables your lobby furniture the bulletin boards the smart boards the tvs all of the things that bring a school to life that falls into that category now i want to take a few minutes to talk about this this current path that we're on we've been talking about numbers we've been talking

[00:09:42] about a systemic renovation with some small additions i sometimes it's easier to imagine what that looks like with some pictures right and some visuals so what you'll see on the screen right now are some 3d renderings done by the team that's supporting our work with daniel's run that are conceptual images of what this renovation and addition could look like at that school these are not final designs but they're illustrative of the scale and approach that that we're talking about in these projects.

[00:10:13] And they show how the current path is focused on modernizing the building while working within the existing structure. So I know all of you are familiar with Daniel's Run, and so what you'll see is something that looks fairly similar to the current state of Daniel's Run on the outside.

[00:10:30] We're gonna spend some time talking about the inside later on and how it'll be much, much different. But in terms of what we're talking about around the scale of this project, it's a systemic renovation of all the systems within the building every surface with inside the building but the exterior of the building is going to look very similar in some parts and then very different in others so you can see that main entrance view of Daniel's run which resembles a lot of it except they currently are proposed just proposed right now covered walkway with some solar PV arrays on the front and then you'll see what is a potentially a large addition on the far side of the

[00:11:09] building and you can see the front view of that and then what it would look like from the rear of the building so just to try and give some cons uh context as to what what some of this could look like if this is the direction that we continue on for this next section of the discussion we want to take a few minutes to think about the advantages and considerations of a few different options the goal of this section is to clearly present the trade-offs across cost timeline and edging educational outcomes for each of these potential paths we're going to start by looking at the current path that we're on for both of our elementary schools this is the path

[00:11:47] of a comprehensive renovation with modest additions between 5,000 to 10,000 square feet. This is the most cost-efficient and the most current option that we have based on the work that's been done to date. It maintains the current timelines and minimizes disruptions to that timeline process. It also has lower levels of risk since the planning is already underway.

[00:12:12] However, it does limit some of the abilities to fully redesign spaces, and it may not align with of the long-term future forward goals of the board but i'm very confident that this type of approach would provide us with a high quality product and a great learning environment for our students and we're working with some excellent designers that can support that and you can see the estimated cost with which aligns with so all those previous cost tables are aligned with this potential option so that's the current path that we're on i was asked to provide some information about a few

[00:12:47] other possible options what else what else could be possible on these sites so the next one to consider is still renovations at our schools but with much larger additions or demo demolitions of current parts of our building and rebuilding them with new construction this option would increase flexibility and allows for more modern learning environments it could potentially better address some of the long-term capacity and programming needs of our schools however it would require significant redesign work. It would have increased cost. And because that design work has not begun

[00:13:23] for this type of approach, it would undoubtedly introduce timeline delays. It also creates potential sunk costs from the design work that we've already done. We'd be essentially having to start over with a different approach from a design perspective. You can see that estimated cost. And again, we would have to see more about what the potential designs would look like to see if that's in the right ballpark, I do not think it would be any lower than that.

[00:13:51] And just to clarify one more time, no work has been done on this option. The other potential option that I was asked to share with the board is the possibility of new construction at our school sites. Could we have new elementary school buildings instead of renovations and small additions?

[00:14:10] And you see the word prototype up there because one of the most viable options that K-12 school districts are looking at are looking at prototype builds, so a building that's been designed, and it has many similar features, and it can be put on lots of different sites.

[00:14:28] So a lot of the design work has been done already, and there's a proof of concept that the building is an effective educational environment for students and staff and community, but then we could bring it to one of our sites here in the city of Fairfax. So this option provides the greatest alignment with a potential long-term vision.

[00:14:46] It allows for fully modern, flexible, and adaptable facilities. It also creates the opportunity for a cohesive signature design of the buildings here in the city of Fairfax. However, as you can see, it has the highest cost. It would require essentially a full restart of where we are in terms of the design process, and it introduces significant logistical complexity.

[00:15:06] It would also require swing spaces, particularly for Daniel's Run to allow this to happen. And you can see some of the estimated costs. Again, to be clear, no work has been done from a design perspective, procurement perspective for this potential option.

[00:15:23] The last thing that we'll talk about in terms of some of these potential options is what it looks like when you look at the current path that we're on right now compared to a new construction path. So side by side, there's a table at the top of this chart that compares those prices directly.

[00:15:43] You can see that the new construction costs increased significantly the total across both schools. There may be some potential efficiencies at the Providence site because of if we looked at a new construction there and to just in broad strokes, you would be potentially looking at building a new building behind the current one while the current one is occupied by our students.

[00:16:06] That could potentially allow for the construction to happen quicker, which would allow for some cost efficiencies. But again, as I mentioned on the previous screen, there'd be higher overall costs and there'd be costs associated with the timeline delays for that to happen. If we were to look at an option like that at Daniel's Run, a swing space would be required because it would not be possible to do a new construction on that site while students were still on that site.

[00:16:32] So a swing space would be an alternate site for a temporary amount of time that the students and the staff and the community would utilize for that educational setting. You can see on the screen two potential options, both that have significant logistical challenges to them and also have significant costs associated with them if we were to look at that option for a swing space. Before we move into the conclusion, there's one other important part of a capital project to talk about with this board, and it's our procurement approaches. The current path that

[00:17:07] we're on is using something called a design-bid-build procurement approach. Now, this is all aligned with the Virginia Public Procurement Act and the standard procedures that public entities use. We are fortunate that in the city of Fairfax with some very recent changes to our our city policies that there are now multiple options for procurement available for these type of projects. So the three options that are available in the city of Fairfax now following a city council vote a few weeks ago is not only the design bid build that we're currently looking at

[00:17:42] but something called a design build approach and then finally a construction manager at risk approach, and sometimes people call it a CMAR. All of these have different potential advantages and disadvantages. I'll start with the design build because that one is not an option for us right now without completely restarting, because essentially what you do is you hire one firm that takes care of the design work, the construction work, and does it all together. We've already hired firms that are doing the design work for us, and they're doing it very well. The design bid build that we're currently on is you engage in two contracts so the first contract is for the

[00:18:21] design work and so we have contracts for both of our schools for that design work to happen and then when that design work is completed you put out a bid for a second contract and that's with the builder so it's it's two it's essentially think about it as two separate processes and so the design work happens you finish all the drawings all that work and then that is handed off to a builder, and the builder goes and constructs that design.

[00:18:50] There are advantages and disadvantages to this. One of the things I would bring up for this board is that the two groups are not working together during the process, right? While the design work is happening, we don't know who the builder is, so the ability for them to connect and discuss and work together and collaborate is not there.

[00:19:09] Additionally, if there are any issues during the building process that are related to design changes or issues with the design that are not able to be built that can lead to additional costs that were not originally budgeted for. The construction manager at risk process is one that is now available to us in the city of Fairfax and it's still two contracts like a design bid build but the major difference is that you bring the builder into the process much earlier.

[00:19:42] So if we were to pursue a process like this, we'd be looking at bringing a builder into our City of Fairfax projects during the next phase of design, which is called schematic design. We're currently finishing up conceptual design, and we're going to go into schematic design in the very near future.

[00:20:00] One of the advantages of this is then we would have a builder that could be working with our designers during the design process. A second advantage that you'll hear me talk about towards the end of this presentation is that through a construction manager at risk, you also agree on a guaranteed maximum price for your project.

[00:20:19] So a GMP is agreed on through that process with the construction manager at risk, which I think brings a lot of advantages to planning our costs and to knowing where our risks are financially over the course of a four to five year project.

[00:20:35] I'd be remiss if I didn't share with the board that there are multiple things to consider when making decisions like this and thinking about the path forward. We've talked at several points throughout this conversation around our timeline.

[00:20:54] We're currently estimating that these projects on their current path can be finished by the fall of 2030. Any changes to that probably would delay the timeline, which again could lead to delayed costs. You can see some of the things we want to think about about our current levels of funding and our potential future levels of funding.

[00:21:13] We talked a little bit about the swing space requirements. We're currently focused on a capital project that does significant work at our elementary schools and some roof work at our high school. I would say that it's a decent summary of the facilities conditions assessment from 2023 that our middle school and high school will need some significant investments in the next decade.

[00:21:35] So being thoughtful about that while we're making decisions now. And then just thinking about what are our sustainability and wellness goals here in the city? And then what are some of the things that could make timelines and costs uncertain or lead to potential escalations over the next four to five years?

[00:21:52] There are potential unknowns that could have an impact on our budgeting process. In terms of next steps for our community and this board, we're going to have online community forums for both the Daniels Run community and the Providence community later this week.

[00:22:11] Our awesome design teams will present some of the conceptual design options. They'll show those pictures that I was showing you. They'll show more detailed versions of those. And they'll go through and have the opportunity to take some feedback from our community and our staff members who want to be a part of that.

[00:22:27] And then next Monday, the school board has the opportunity to hear some more information about the specific conceptual designs and to give our designers some direction on do we want to go with option one or option two or option three. Again, today's conversation is just trying to receive clarity around, are we staying on this current path?

[00:22:46] And then next week, we would be talking about which of the specific options the board would like to direct the designers to continue to move forward with. So we return to those two key questions about staying on this current path, and if not, any changes that should be made.

[00:23:08] Based on the analysis of the options, the current project status, and broader implementation considerations, I would like to provide the following recommendation to the school board. It's my recommendation that we continue on the current path of comprehensive renovations with small additions at both elementary schools.

[00:23:24] This approach maintains momentum, avoids delays, and minimizes additional costs associated with restarting the project. It's my recommendation that we incorporate modest budget adjustments of approximately $3 to $5 million per school to allow for targeted enhancements. These investments would support additional features that elevate the quality, functionality, and distinctiveness of our schools.

[00:23:46] And it's my recommendation that we consider through the procurement process transitioning to a construction manager at risk delivery model to establish that guaranteed maximum price, to introduce the contractor expertise earlier in the process, to increase our flexibility while maintaining cost discipline, and to reduce risk of delays and costs overruns.

[00:24:07] It's my hope that this recommendation balances fiscal responsibility, project momentum, and long-term quality, and positions the division to deliver high-quality facilities while maintaining public trust and confidence at this point we're open to the board for any discussions questions and feedback i have two wonderful colleagues here that can help answer detailed technical questions and i'm happy to clarify any areas where additional information is needed so thank you chair pitches this concludes the presentation uh miss borrow may do you have

[00:24:39] questions yeah i i guess my question is to both of you about um the construction manager at risk So I know when we started the contracts with both of you, our only option with the city was the design build, design bid build.

[00:24:55] So I was curious about both of your firms' experience with that model instead. At Moseley, we have done many, many projects. I can get you a specific number, but it's something that we do regularly.

[00:25:11] We have full confidence in that procurement method. It is nice to have a contractor on board early to be able to discuss design decisions, discuss materiality. be able to talk about what they're seeing in the supply chain coming. That was one of the things that we saw with COVID and the escalation.

[00:25:31] Having the contractor in early helps avoid specifying materials that might look at alternatives that would save you money and still give you the same performance. So we like to work as a team and collaborative, so getting that contractor on early, having them be part of the team really does set you up for success in the long run, I would say.

[00:25:51] um and same with architecture incorporated we have experience with all three of the procurement types that dr wright mentioned what we found particularly helpful in the cmar like molly said is it develops a partnership a collaboration early on and also the school division has the opportunity to control the selection process a little bit more so with a design bid build typically the lowest bidder is the direction that the school board must follow through with when you do engage in a cmar type of delivery you can control the requirements a little bit more

[00:26:30] so it's not necessarily the lowest bidder that wins the job it's somebody that has a good price but also gives you those relationship kind of partnership feelings that everybody wants to move into in a project that is going to be part of our lives for the next four to five years thank you and I would just add two quick pieces of context first the there's a very large project under consideration of the City of Fairfax the Willard Sherwood community center that is currently scheduled to utilize a construction manager at risk procurement process and then second any contract

[00:27:08] that would be with a construction manager at risk would come before this board for approval thank you dr. Wright may I say one other thing that's advantage those were all great points another thing that Dustin mentioned is having that guaranteed maximum price which is nice to know when you're budgeting that they're part of the team will use independent cost estimators you've seen the work from Pharrella and I know Downey and Scott does a great job too but having the CMA are on board throughout at each milestone will have our cost estimator give a price and the construction manager will go through

[00:27:47] their subs and bet the prices so you'll get almost a double check on the price at each milestone and then at that final milestone they will give you the guaranteed maximum price for you to decide on that does not count for if there are changes from the owner and directions you want to go that would be an additional to the guaranteed maximum but for anything that's included in design up to that point that you will have vetted and seen that will be included and you shouldn't see change orders do you have another question i'm good okay um miss

[00:28:24] kelsey um yeah i have a couple actually um so i need to go back no you're fine just ask them now okay um going along with that question is there a cost difference or is it how does it affect our current what we have going right now with them if we switched from the design bill bid bill to a cmr That's a great question. I think if anything, it would allow the cost to come down slightly because we'd be holding less of those contingencies because that at-risk part of the construction

[00:29:01] manager at risk is that moving over to their side. But I still think we're in the right ballpark budget-wise, whether it's the design bid build or the construction manager at risk. I think these numbers that we're looking at are the appropriate ones for the board to consider. So it's not necessarily a cost savings and I don't anticipate drastic cost increases if a different procurement approach is selected and if there are if there are significant costs that we're trying to keep at as a board and a safe perfect school division which I think it lines up with what we've been doing all along we can write the contract that way or we can do the design work to ensure that

[00:29:41] we're within those cost parameters does it change anything with where we're at Like, right now, like, does it say we have to go back through the whole bid process again, or can we just step? I know how long the bid process takes, and that's why I'm thinking, is it something that, like, if we decide to go with the CMAR, we now have to go back to the step one and pick new teams?

[00:30:05] Yeah, that's a great question, man. So I'm going to take a first crack at it, and then I'll look to my friends, or maybe I'll get the scientific head nod that I'm saying the right things. We have not done any procurement bid process on a builder yet. So that process would not have to start over because it has not begun.

[00:30:23] For design work, I think our contracts are able to shift at this point in the process where we are. What I would say for this board is there's some time sensitivity to making a decision to go to a construction manager at risk.

[00:30:39] And we're okay. We're in that window. But you typically want the construction manager on board either at the latest during the schematic design or at the very latest at the end of schematic design. And so that's the next phase that we're moving into.

[00:30:55] So it would be something that I would be bringing back to this board for consideration. Hey, we're going to go down this procurement approach very soon. Do you want me to keep going? Go ahead. You tell me.

[00:31:19] Do you want me to pause or do you want me to? No, no. Okay. We'll just get them done. slide 13 I just have a couple questions on that slide the between the renovation and new builds and this may be because of location purposes or whatnot when you look at the renovation Providence is the higher amount but when you look at the new build Daniel's run is the higher amount can you explain that to me I'm gonna do my best so two things first these are these are estimates and we

[00:31:52] have we worked with one of our estimators to get a get a a detailed estimate on what a new build up providence would be but it's based on it starting right away right and this this so it's lower than the number that you see for providence of 110 million estimated it's closer to 100 million dollars if we were to go this direction it would it would delay the projects the daniels run one is higher because one of two things would happen we would either have to start the work later on

[00:32:31] because of the swing space swing space options or we would have to do a significant amount of work on a swing space that would have costs you know so that's why that's hard so it's either going to be work that's not going to start until 28 29 which is just going to increase the cost or we're going to have to do a significant amount of work right now to make sure that we have a functional swing space okay that answered that question and then at the bottom of that it does say we'll be operating two elementary schools on one site for approximately two years we would we have both schools so what if you use the old providence building yeah so i mean that that's a you know

[00:33:11] i'm probably stressing out uh molly and allison um you know by saying two years but it would be thinking about how long do we actually have to have um the daniels run community in that old building right and so um and and two years you know between two years which was also three summers could the demolition and construction work at daniels run it's in the ballpark it might be a little bit longer than that just to be honest of how long it would take okay and then are we estimating this timeline you bumped you said 2032 so we're estimating that it will take two years to

[00:33:49] build each school between the design and build then two years would be the actual construction time the design time um is is probably what we've typically been looking at is about two years one year for design you know and then one year for coding permitting zoning um that type of work sometimes a little bit longer but the two years would be for construction work and i did want to that if a new build prototype direction is taken we can use a prototype for the building but there are very different sites so the site process would still

[00:34:27] follow as if it were a new building so there is that consideration to take as well we would be still required to follow the same timeline for submitting for site plan review and special use permit and all of that that does not get shortened or decreased if you're using a prototype building that has been you know designed on another site thank you miss Hickman I don't have any questions I just want to kind of give my thoughts behind this first off I appreciate all

[00:35:03] of the information I do strongly agree with the superintendent's recommendation of continuing on the path that we're on I think we were very clear to the public the importance of getting these renovations started and done um i'm definitely very much i would even say opposed to going with a new build option for the fact that the fsa did clearly state that daniels run needs um the work or sooner rather than later so to hold off to do a new build of providence and then daniels run i think would be really um challenging uh to those students

[00:35:39] who are in the school who would be kind of dealing with the in between phase there um and i fully support and i appreciate but all of your feedback on um the cmar style a bit i think that is open openings up opens us up to better options than we've had um and so i think we can go down that road with the current path with the understanding of that there might be some additional expenses if we are wanting to add on a couple of other things that maybe we didn't originally know about or think about in our initial bid, however many, when we started this whole process.

[00:36:18] Ms. Sessori. Thank you. My thoughts around this was more looking to Daniel's run. I'm not of that community, so I really do want to put my trust in Ms. Hickman since that's her community very much so.

[00:36:35] I mean, we're all representing all schools, but when you raise your kids for 10 years at Providence, it's kind of hard not to, you know, it's hard to put your shoes in elsewhere. My thought, though, is whenever I go into Daniel's Run and I see Daniel's Run, it's such a small plot of land.

[00:36:53] Built in 1956, and it doesn't look much different than when it was built as Leighton Hall. And so, you know, when we started having kind of these conversations, what if we could do a new build for Daniel's Run?

[00:37:10] I don't know if putting them into Providence, waiting two years is the right solution, but I also don't want to delay any further given our timeline of our bond. And that's kind of where my, I'm just sharing my thoughts out loud really with that. So I guess here's my question, right?

[00:37:28] If we go down the path of sticking with, whether it's a CMAR or a design bid build, whatever path with that, can we, and we do have three really nice designs of Daniel's run, But it doesn't resolve some of the busing, I think, that some people were talking about or the proximity to the road and whatnot.

[00:37:54] Like, is there anything we can kind of do to highlight some of those concerns with a renovation cost, which is cheaper? Yeah. Thank you, Ms. Essary. I think you're bringing up some really important points for the board to consider and then us as staff and our designers.

[00:38:16] You are correct that we have some site-based challenges with Daniel's Run. The primary one being that if you know Daniel's Run, it's kind of built into the grade of, you know, it's built into the hill. And when you get down to the bottom of the hill on the backside of it, we enter into a floodplain area, which really limits where we can do construction.

[00:38:38] And so there are some challenges within that. I would respond with one point, and then I'm going to set up Ms. Merlot to potentially talk through and help understand where we are in the process and what's possible now and what's possible moving forward.

[00:38:59] I have a tremendous amount of confidence that even though within this existing footprint, the approach that we're taking with both of our design firms are going to lead to buildings that when they're fully complete, it'll be a process to get there. going to be a phased occupied renovation which means there's there's going to be construction site going on in some spots and students in modular buildings in some spots and disruptions to traffic in other spots that's just part of what happens on every phased occupied renovation everywhere but when we get to the end of it we're going to have a building that not only all of us in this room and all of us in the city are proud of but it's going to

[00:39:38] meet our goals of the building which is a great place for every single one of our students to learn and a great place for our staff members to work and a great place a great point of pride for our community i think that's all possible within the renovation especially within some of the budget parameters that that we're looking at miss merlot is going to help me talk about around you know where we are in the process of a concept conceptual design so what i'll bring to you next week and what will be shared at the community meetings are some of those three designs that you were talking about in accessory and there's three distinct designs and they all i think meet different potential goals and they all have some different advantages and

[00:40:17] challenges what is what I think is possible is that we are giving our firms the direction of hey we're looking for a three-story addition and you know some enhancements to these parts of the building we did not pick the exact shape and size and that addition we did not pick the exact layout of the interior of of the building. So some things are possible to still tweak along the way. And then if we really find something that is really, you talked about buses or you talked about, you know, or potentially kiss and ride loops, we can still work through that through the schematic design process to make

[00:40:57] some of those changes. Ms. Merlot, can you add on to that and, you know, help Ms. Cessary with the really important question that she asked? I'm sorry, before you, so you don't have to answer twice. Could I just, because my question is very similar to Ms. Essary. I feel like you would end up maybe having to answer some of it twice. So my concern with the, so my kids also went to Providence, but I've spent a lot of time with Daniels run over the last 16 years, and I am okay with

[00:41:34] the recommendation for providence to move forward as is i am not as gung-ho moving forward daniel's run um as is uh i i've spoken with dr wright about this is there in the design phase is it possible to relocate the main entrance to the area where the hallway that's next to the current front office to the cafeteria which faces the faculty parking lot for that to become the bus

[00:42:13] loop area and the front of the building to widen the current front um sort of loop area and have kiss and ride exit out closer to the sherwood center to move it away from um st leo's and to sort of give that i every time i walk into daniel's run it feels very claustrophobic You have the column, you have the office right there.

[00:42:39] It's not quite as open and spacious as when you walk into Providence. So I don't know if that is a larger addition. So my point is, could we have a different option for Daniels Run with a larger addition or more of a different design and keep the Providence one as is, but look to do something a little different with Daniel's run.

[00:43:12] Thank you for that. Thank you, Dr. Wright, for teeing this up. The answer to your questions, we are on a very tight site. That is acknowledged there's a floodplain changing the budget. But there are a lot of things we can do.

[00:43:32] We've been very mindful of the budget we were given and allow the square footage. So trying to respect that. the budget adjusts it does allow us community to maybe more significantly impact the area of that main addition where that goes we'll still be we'll have a traffic consultant that we're trying to get a study done before school gets out that's something needed to get scheduled with dr right next really look hard at what are the options there for the site within the space that's there

[00:44:12] And if we open that up, then it may construction and a little bit more options function.

[00:44:45] That's not necessarily exclusive of can we continue to change the design from this point on. The concept is big picture. Thematic is really going to dig down more into which rooms or beside which rooms.

[00:45:01] We have all the systems in the building that we'll want to look at. Yeah, that does.

[00:45:29] Thank you, Ms. Essary. Yeah, I have another question. So if we move toward a new build, is there any footnotes, anything from, like, our bond legalese that we should be aware of that prevents us from doing that?

[00:45:49] Like, the bond that we have from the public, does it allow us to do, to consider a new build, or is it only restricted to renovations of the current buildings? So Ms. Dorsey is going to see if she can pull up the exact language that was in our, on the bond while we're talking.

[00:46:11] So here's my, you know, with the caveat of I'm doing this from memory. My recollection of the bond language on the election was for a school bond to support school construction.

[00:46:29] It was very broad and very general. So in terms of that, I think there is some latitude to look at that. I will say that in the materials that were prepared throughout the summer of 2024 and that I believe are still available on our website right now, it got a little more specific talking about elementary school renovations, the roof at Fairfax High School.

[00:46:58] So I'd have to get back to you in terms of what we're legally able to do and not able to do, but I believe that there's enough latitude that we're within the – where we are very tight is the actual number of the bond. And I'm going to encourage us to make sure that there's plenty of room in our overall budget to just plan for unexpected things.

[00:47:23] But I believe we could have the ability to consider this option with the language that was on the referendum. Okay, so I have a few questions. First of all, the addition for Danielsron, is that taking up the blacktop space then that's on that end of the building, or am I looking at it?

[00:47:43] It gets a little, yeah, that's a great question. It gets a little bit smaller, but there still is blacktop space over there. And then some of that, in one of the concepts, they look at recapturing some of that potential blacktop space, which has a pretty specific use case right now in one of the courtyards, but that's just an option at this point.

[00:48:03] So that's definitely being considered as we look at that. Okay. And that might lead, we talked about maybe a different type of, if it was possible to move the main entrance, we could use part of that addition money on that other side to, that would sort of push, I feel like I'm like trying to redesign a house that I have no idea what I'm doing.

[00:48:28] But if you pushed that out, that would open up the entryway a little bit more and that, or that area where the stairs are. You wouldn't come right into the building and be right there. And I would just, yeah, go ahead, Molly.

[00:48:44] Yeah.

[00:49:48] Okay, and the gym, will that be fully renovated as part of this? So the gym meets the size for the ed specs, but we will be redoing the floor, looking at the acoustics, the finishes, and all of that.

[00:50:05] But the physical walls of the gym probably are not getting expanded as part of this okay also do we know what the capacity is at green acres just so we have that information in terms of student capacity like number program capacity it's very limited if we were to utilize anything like that it would be a combination of modular spaces and using the building so you know be thinking about you know the stress and to be clear we've had zero conversation so if I have colleagues or partners around the city you know that

[00:50:43] we're just talking hypothetically right yes hypothetically I was curious yeah I I had thought that that building originally could house up to 400 or 450 students but I was not I think that would be generous what we're looking at is utilizing the gym cafeteria spaces office space and then having a significant amount of modular spaces and possibly looking at some of those six to eight classroom modulars that that come with plumbing okay and I am in

[00:51:15] favor of the CMR procurement just make sure for the delay we talked well you know I'm not gonna Christmas sorry go ahead and ask your question my question actually follows up with what you're just having a conversation about we often talk about green acres being an insufficient site for a school building anyway because of the i mean can it can it function today even for egress of bus flow car flow everything else as a school

[00:51:54] building i mean is that truly an operational site for a swing building it would require significant modifications for it to be operational so modifications oh i'm sorry no no i apologize for interrupting there um but but basically it would require us putting money into that to make it work so that then it could be a swing space as we renovate that is correct we'd have to put money into it for modulars in those spaces and then i would think that there would need to be ada modifications within the building especially in some of the bathroom spaces

[00:52:30] and then probably significant ada modifications in our parking lot or curb cuts and things like So there would be an investment in that building to have it be functional for the two to three years that it would be needed to use, hopefully closer to two years. I think I'm going to end right now on a statement in my personal opinion that I am not in favor of using Green Acres as a swing space given that, I mean, just it needs a new roof in general.

[00:53:02] And moving one kids from an older building to a much older building is not, I think, an ideal situation. Using Providence as a swing space, I'm not in favor of swing spaces in general. I think it's very disruptive for, luckily we live in a smaller jurisdiction where it's not much of a burden, but two years is a burden, I think.

[00:53:24] So as much as I would like to see maybe Daniel's front have a new building, maybe there's some opportunity to use the current site and rethink some of those things and make it flow better. I'm not in favor of using swing spaces at all.

[00:53:40] So thank you.

[00:53:53] Does anybody have more questions?

[00:54:21] Yes, Ms. Kelsey. brought up like 12 more in my head but the one that I was thinking of just as a reminder I know we're not talking about it but we are talking funds here because we do have to think of that with what we had in the bond and what we had said can you remind us how much the roof was estimated at for the high school because we do need to keep that in our head that we have there it's 41 was it okay and I missed it okay so we I believe there was an initial estimate done by our cost

[00:54:56] estimators that supported the bond work that had it it did not change drastically but we revised that estimate not you know so that's that's where the current estimate is as of february 2026 and we're hoping to start doing the bid process and that work later on this summer so i think wherever it ends up we'll be pretty close there we do have some options as a board to consider with that project in general but for today's conversation i think the number on the screen is the appropriate one to consider.

[00:55:30] I'm sorry, but it's still going to rattle in my head. Just for clarification on what you just said about having to move some kids out for the phasing, are you talking, so if we did the reno at Daniel's Run, some of those kids would have to be moved into modules at Daniel's Run, or were you saying at Green Acres?

[00:55:58] I just wanted to clarify, because we were talking Green Acres, and then you said that, and I'm like, wait, are we still on Green Acres?

[00:56:24] So I wanted to make sure that we were talking Daniel's Run as so we will still have to have modules for those kids and it may change change as the process goes on absolutely and that that's the case for both projects they'll certainly be again that those during different phases there'll be different portions of the building that will need to use modulus throughout the school day just trying to make sure we were on the same page and my brain was working right okay thank you okay I will just end by saying that I I agree with

[00:56:58] your recommendation with the one exception that i'd like to put more money into daniel's run for a larger sort of either a larger edition or just to make sure that we're able to do a few and just to clarify that with a focus on the entrance those entrance areas yeah and yeah and if there's anything we can do to change to look at with the traffic obviously traffic study will tell us a lot so all right thank you all right thank you dr wright does it has everybody got all their

[00:57:37] questions answered no dr wright you had said you would you know we need to make we need to make a decision as and how would you would you like that to be in are you giving us time or do you want it this evening for the direction on this conversation yes well i would you know i would defer to the board on what you need um we were hoping to be able to um if we're going to stay on the timeline

[00:58:16] next monday talk about which of the designs we want our firm the firms to continue moving forward with the schematic design so i think you know any any additional potential time for deliver deliberation will require us to keep looking at the timeline but i would say the sooner the better but you have to be comfortable as a board with providing that direction miss borrow may do you have uh i just wanted to add because i think um necessarily hickman and um his pitches all said that they were in support of the um cmar and i also am so i don't know if that as well okay

[00:58:54] miss kelsey procurement do you have a preference uh i was cmar was where i was going so we can all agree with that's the preference of the board um in terms of the renovation miss barnall are you leaning i i mean i i think i agree with staying the course with providence um and following uh dr wright's recommendations and i like the idea of exploring some options that daniel's run a little further okay miss kelsey hi i came in because i thought his email originally had said we were doing the vote on the 20th so i came in as just we're not going to be i don't think it

[00:59:33] doesn't require a vote no but i thought we were like making that final decision on the 20th was what we originally had said and so that's why i came into this meeting with that and i kind of of would like to look at the plans a little bit more okay before i say yes or no on anything okay um dr wright thank you miss pitches uh so mrs kelsey the biggest thing that we're looking for clarity on is are we sticking with um renovations of our two elementary schools so that if yeah that's what we're hoping to leave with this evening so renovation or new build is basically i'll come back to you ms hickman um yeah my understanding was that so that's why i came

[01:00:13] into the with definitely wanting to continue with renovations with a further discussion when we meet next week about kind of what our different options are it sounds like we're giving you a directive and also sorry you a directive uh to relook at some of the options that we have available to see if there is some more flexibility with the understanding that it would cost more to do some movement in terms of whether it be the entrance to daniel's run or just what that either the where the physical space is or how it looks or um to open that and just to add a little

[01:00:45] bit more into that design i'm so sorry i think mix uh hickman summed up on my my thoughts there too quite well um i i came into the heat today considering a new build for new for dana's run given the options here and i think it sounds like mosley can work with what we have and focus especially on that cost to doing a new build is much more expensive nowadays it's not it's not jenny dean anymore so um but um but that's that i'm i'm with i'm in favor of continuing on with

[01:01:23] where we're at and miss kelsey you can just why don't you touch base with miss dr wright um in the next day or two well i was gonna say if it's if every if everybody but me has made the decision and then it doesn't really it's majority though so it does matter well no I my opinion is I don't want to feel like I'm just worse I you hate that I'm gonna say it but I'm gonna say it that we're sticking a band-aid on some of this stuff and we're gonna have to fix it down the like sooner

[01:01:56] rather than later and we're just we're adding on to a few spots but I that's I that's why I came in with that thought in my head that I was gonna have time to look at some things more and see um and so i that's just but if everybody else is of the opinion that it we just do reno then i've given this is where i'm at and i don't know that just take a couple days you know i mean we're not going to start tomorrow so no i know but time and look over change all your opinions that's why because they're already ready to argue so okay um yes miss hickman um i i just want to put it out

[01:02:35] that i by no means see a renovation as a band-aid i am not willing to approve a renovation as a band-aid my understanding is it would be a renovation it would not be well ideally yes we would all want a new build the actual logistics of it the timing of it the cost of it seem prohibitive but we would definitely be making sure that we are not just putting on a band-aid and i it looks like you have something to say to that because that would not be something i would support and could you maybe address i think to be clear i think a lot of our concerns with structural

[01:03:13] structurally is hvac so we have a building that was built in the 50s that was then renovated on and the hvac has been problematic and we know commercial buildings typically are not you know the hvac is an issue you're not it's not going to be temperate you know in every part of the building but are there some things that um we will be able to do to you know correct some of those uh current

[01:03:42] issues that we have is it have push the button okay oh i think i just wasn't pushing it hard enough before this um yes i would very much agree it is not slapping a band-aid on the existing building we would be very disappointed if that was what you felt like after the renovation and addition was done our intent is for this to be an award-winning wonderful facility for students in Fairfax City something that you're going to be proud of that doesn't necessarily mean that it has to look

[01:04:21] completely different on the outside but there are things that if that's a concern that we can look at doing we will be replacing all of the windows and the doors. We're going to be looking at more energy-efficient models. We're going to be redoing all of the systems. We're pretty much taking the bones of that building, which are good, and going to be reusing those things, which is responsible for the environment to do, too.

[01:04:46] But then we're going to be infilling it then with new systems. We're going to be doing all new finishes, like Dr. Wright talked about. We're going to be looking for those areas that they can have special moments that are really emphasizing flexibility in education and choice for students and teachers and supporting the staff within that environment and all of the options will be increasing the circulation either between two floors or all three floors which is going to be a big difference we're going to look at making those courtyards more usable throughout the year absolutely we're looking at energy efficiency it's going

[01:05:24] be a lead silver building we're looking at which systems are going to serve you well both first cost and life cycle costs and are going to operate efficiently we're looking at bringing in energy through photovoltaics on the roof and potentially canopies in the parking lot bringing in new ev charging stations into the parking lot as well as looking at what can we possibly do both to increase parking to help ease circulation to bring queuing off of blenham boulevard and make sure that we have enough

[01:06:00] area for the buses to service the school and separating the buses from the cars so those are all things we are looking at we're going to make sure that this is an exciting building for the staff and the students and the whole community somewhere that they want to come and the rendering you could see there's an outdoor amphitheater is something we know we're constricted on meeting space within the building for the whole school but maybe bringing something you have rock the block for the community in the city of fairfax maybe having rock the school area that can be used for outdoor gathering spaces throughout the year and

[01:06:36] be an asset to the community as well so we really want to maximize the use of the site and the building that's there in a responsible way that will get everyone excited thank you Ms. Merlot and Ms. Legg, is it fair to say that it's a similar approach for Providence?

[01:06:52] It's very similar and I did also want to add that Molly and I have been working with Fairfax County Public Schools because we understand that they maintain these buildings. So we have met with them on the HVAC systems and our team has presented multiple options for them and they've kind of selected a pathway that they want to go which is different than the system at Providence as well as Daniel's run so it will not only be a completely brand new system it will be something that Fairfax County has embraced and they want to engage with

[01:07:29] so it's a system that they are comfortable with maintenance on it um and so I think that's that's a real positive too and the other thing I wanted to note was the school division had a very very smart foundation to start with the facilities condition assessment because that was basically the first check to see what are the attributes of these buildings and what can be fixed right mechanical systems have usually a 20 maybe 30 year lifespan so that's something that can absolutely be addressed like Molly mentioned the

[01:08:04] structural systems there are good bones so those FCA's didn't encounter any foundation or settlement or major structural concerns and where we've seen that would be a big instigator to you know move away from a renovation type project to a more new construction type project so that the bones are good that's a very responsible approach to these projects and they will once they're done they will be 21st century learning environment so even though there are

[01:08:41] going to be some similarities that you may notice when you walk through the school they're going to feel very different and we hope there are things that you can say those are new light fixtures right that makes me feel that makes me think a very different way but we also hope that you walk through our schools and you don't know why you feel better but that you just do right and so um that is going to be our task as designers to just create these wonderful spaces that um you are going to be proud of and we want to be proud of too so okay and i do appreciate you

[01:09:16] speaking with FCPS about their but I will say that we would also like since we are paying for the the renovations and these systems and we've had issues at Fairfax High School in the past where they were unable to fix it and we end up paying we ended up paying for that ourselves we just would like to be included and I'm sure you you'll make sure right no thank you chair pitches And I'll just clarify one thing that Ms. Lake said.

[01:09:48] So at the end of the day, the city of Fairfax schools is selecting the HVAC system that will be in both of our buildings. But I think she did a really nice job of articulating how important it is to have some dialogue with the teams that will be maintaining our systems. So I believe the approach that we're going to utilize in both buildings is something that is going to address a lot of the historical concerns.

[01:10:15] It's sustainable in its approach and it also makes sense economically, but I wish I would have been a principal in a school with these type of HVAC systems because it's going to bring a lot of advantages. So at the end of the day, it's our decision, just like all aspects of this are, but we want to have that dialogue with our partners in Fairfax County from the maintenance perspective, and it's been a productive dialogue with that team.

[01:10:40] Yes, and I appreciate that. I just want to make sure that we are all educated on what the system is and how is it different from what we have since that primarily is the major complaint that we get. So, Ms. Cessary. I just had a quick statement, and I want to thank Ms. Kelsey for highlighting that because oftentimes people do think like a renovation is, like when we do a renovation in our house, it's just a small section of our house.

[01:11:06] But I'm thankful that you've highlighted that the whole building will be renovated, that every classroom, every learning space, every nook and cranny will be revised and whatnot. And so, you know, having been through as a professional through a school renovation, I'm excited to see what's, especially Providence, because that's my homeschool, but what you are going to come up with with Daniel's run and whatnot, so thank you.

[01:11:37] Okay, I'd like to thank both of you for coming and um dr wright for the presentation i think we i can speak for the board we feel a little bit more educated than we have felt um in terms of this these projects so we really appreciate you spending some time with us this afternoon and they uh since they did such a great job they're coming back next monday as well to hang out with us again when we look at some of the specific plans so i think that's um uh again a great uh example of the partnership that we have with both of these design firms and then as board members you'll know that you can really ask specific

[01:12:15] questions from the experts that are behind some of these designs so looking forward to that next Monday so we'll see you on the 20th okay great thank you and we do not have any public hearings this evening and we don't have any action items so I will adjourn this meeting at 5:15 and for Dr. Wright

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