Valley High committee notified of $144,000 chiller cost overrun; emergency appropriation planned

What the committee heard
Administrator (Speaker 4) informed the committee that the second-half chiller projectbids arrived higher than expected. She said the difference totaled about $144,000 above the estimates used in planning and that all bidders were within a tight range, suggesting a market-driven increase rather than a single anomalous bid.

Next steps and fiscal handling
Administrator said she will last-minute load a resolution to send to the Finance & Audit committee that includes an emergency appropriation to cover the $144,000 difference. She said the project had been planned and pre-purchased chillers were already part of the capital plan; the overrun primarily affects labor and peripheral costs.

Member questions
Members asked whether preliminary bids were available before the estimate and whether parts or labor costs changed; the administrator said she did not yet know the precise cause and that staff (Tom/Burrows) were investigating and will include explanations in the forthcoming resolution.

Ending
The resolution and its explanation will be included when the item is formally submitted to Finance & Audit; no appropriation was approved by this committee at the Jan. 30 meeting.