The Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) Thursday approved nearly $87 million in contracts for school construction
and made changes to its priority list for upcoming projects.
The 63 contracts approved will go toward school construction and renovation work in 17 school districts.
In addition, the OSFC approved revisions to the guidelines for its priority list for school districts that will become eligible for
state money. The changes include basing the equity ranking for schools on the Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELPP)
on when the project is approved, and not the current equity ranking; establishing the priority for lapsed Exceptional Needs
Program (ENP) and Vocational Facilities Assistance Program (VFAP) projects where districts could not match the local share;
clarifying factors affecting the prior order of districts including segmented districts; and adding and removing lapsed
districts in each of the program lists.
The OSFC continued approving funds for districts as part of its energy conservation program. The six districts receiving
funding Thursday were:
– The Ashland County-West Holmes Joint Vocational School District project includes the installation of upgrades to lighting
and some ventilation-related work. The district estimates $13,191 in annual energy and operational savings.
– The Eaton Community City School District project includes the installation of an upgraded air filtration system, new
exterior LED lighting, and an energy management system. The district estimates $24,157 in annual energy and operational
savings.
– The Groveport-Madison Local School District project includes work in 10 buildings. Among the various work to be done will
be the replacement of boilers and hot water heaters in all ten buildings, the installation of automatic flush toilets, and
upgrades to lighting controls. Five of the buildings will also undergo a lighting upgrade. The district estimates $484,597 in
annual energy and operational savings.
– The Marion City School District project will be an expansion of a project started earlier this year. It includes work in nine
buildings with the replacement of HVAC chiller systems and the installation of upgrades to lighting. Also, the district will be
installing an innovative technology system to assist in energy monitoring. The district estimates $162,566 in annual energy
and operational savings.
– The Southeastern Local School District project includes the installation of upgrades to lighting in two buildings and an
exterior LED lighting system at one other building. The district estimates $19,139 in annual energy and operational savings.
– The Williamsburg Local School District project includes the installation of upgrades to lighting and building control
systems, along with the replacement of the HVAC chiller system. The district estimates $47,279 in annual energy and
operational savings.
Members of the panel expressed concern about the Marion County project, which was an increase from an earlier approval,
because the payback time was increased from 8.9 years in the original approval to 14.99 years, just below the 15-year
threshold in state law. They questioned whether the payback would come within that time frame, but ultimately gave
approval to the project.