Carlsbad Unified trustees press staff to press forward with Measure HH projects amid steep construction-cost increases

Carlsbad Unified School District trustees spent Wednesday evening reviewing the status of Measure HH-funded facilities projects and weighing how to protect remaining work as construction costs climb.

District Chief of Facilities Eric Dill told trustees the purpose of the workshop was to update the board on projects now under construction, review schematic designs for two Phase 2b schools and discuss the effect of escalating costs on the program. “We only have one pot of money,” Dill said, adding that staff estimate hard construction costs rose from about $450 per square foot in 2018 to roughly $1,000 per square foot in 2024.

Jessica Kimbrell, director of facilities planning and construction, led a site-by-site review. She said modular classroom deliveries are on track for several projects and showed photos of progress at Aviara Oaks and Valley. For Pacific Rim, Kimbrell described a schematic that replaces aging portables with an 8-classroom building, adds a kids-care suite and locates a music room away from the campus core to limit noise impacts. She also cautioned that a 2023 code change requires solar and battery backup on many new roofs, a cost driver for larger buildings.

Buena Vista remains delayed, Kimbrell said, because the Division of State Architect and city stormwater and grading reviews continue to generate comments that must be resolved. For the Carlsbad High Cultural Arts Center, staff briefed the board on options ranging from significant code upgrades of the 1979 structure to replacing the building; staff said a full modernization could exceed $30 million and recommended deferral until later phases unless funding or a favorable market emerges.

Trustees pressed staff on site details, including counseling-center layouts and noise isolation for construction labs, and probed district-wide issues such as technology infrastructure, solar payback and replacement of artificial-turf fields. Kimbrell said staff would present the schematic concepts to site stakeholders and architects and return to the board with revisions; she identified a May 30 stakeholder meeting at Aviara Oaks Middle as a target date for neighborhood and parent input.

On district financing, Dill told trustees staff recommend drawing down the remaining Measure HH authorization in one final bond series rather than staging additional issuances over multiple years. He argued issuing the final series would reduce the risk of being unable to award contracts as designs are completed and costs continue to rise. Trustees signaled informal consensus for staff to hire a financial adviser, pursue required bond-authority steps and prepare for a potential fall bond sale, subject to legal review and final board approvals.

At the outset of the special meeting trustees approved the agenda by voice vote; the board recorded a 5-0 vote to adopt the agenda. Staff emphasized that no binding decisions on construction contracts or final project lists were made at the workshop: trustees instead provided direction to proceed with stakeholder outreach, continue refining designs for Pacific Rim and Aviara Oaks, and develop financing options to protect projects from further escalation.

The board adjourned the special meeting at 8:20 p.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled for May 15, 2024, at the district office.