Minutes 04-24-2018 Schools - Laserfiche WebLink

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6 Todd Wirt said yes, and the topic would be sent back to the OCS BOE for discussion. Commissioner Rich asked if the current living wage could be identified. Bonnie Hammersley said the Orange County living wage is currently $13.75, and will increase to $14.25 on July 1, 2019. She said the County has a living wage for permanent employees of $15. Pam Jones said she will be sharing information regarding the OCS Capital Investment Plan (CIP). She said the plan is one of stewardship, and aging buildings need to be maintained. She said in 2013 OCS completed a facilities assessment, and has prioritized those since then, and the bond issue projects were built on this study. She said OCS also completed a safety and security assessment, which it continues to deploy. She said $2.5 million was included in the bonds that have been earmarked for safety and security. She said the third area of study, completed in 2016, is the roof study, and this is also lot of what is seen in the bond projects and CIP. She said if the exteriors of buildings are not secure, the interiors will fail, and roofs, windows and walls are being maintained. Pam Jones said there are a few material changes in the CIP since last year: 1.) Cameron Park Elementary has air quality issues and water filtration problems, and exterior of the building needs resurfacing and windows replacing; 2.) $100k is needed for New Hope Elementary HVAC, some air handlers are failing early. Pam Jones said the CIP is essentially the same as last year, and just deals with the basics. She said she would like to update the BOCC on two primary bond projects included in the CIP: 1.) The Orange High School geothermal project, which has bids in, and will be taken to the OCS BOE’s next meeting. She said it came in over estimates, but not as much as feared, and this will be completed in phases over two years, with renovations being completed along the way. She said floors and wings will be opened up one at a time, until the work is complete. She said modular units are being considered, since there is not enough capacity, and OCS hopes for creativity from contractors to get the project done as quickly as possible. She said OCS is working on a public relations campaign to communicate with the neighbors regarding noise and run off. She said the payback on this project is about 10 years, but may take 11-12 years. 2.) Cedar Ridge High School addition has a designer in place who is working with the planning committee on site visits, and all are excited about enhancements and different ways to offer programs. She said it is hoped that this will go out to bid in the fall, and be completed in August 2022. James Barrett referred to the topic of efficiencies of these types of CIP investments, and said this year, as CHCCS does efficiency projects, it is putting ½ the money in a general pot and ½ back in an extra capital/reinvestment funds for longer term work going forward. Commissioner Rich said she went to an Information Technology meeting at Cedar Ridge, and there were places in school with no Wi-Fi. She asked if OCS is working on improving this for students, teachers and everyone else. Pam Jones said OCS knows there are dead spots, and Information Technology has reviewed it, but there is no answer right now. Commissioner Rich said a couple of Commissioners have discussed putting Wi-Fi on school buses, and she spoke with someone at Google to see what it is doing in South Carolina. She asked if there is any possibility of doing this so kids can do their homework on the bus. Todd Wirt said OCS uses Synovia to track buses, which also evaluates connectivity levels throughout the County based on the bus route. He said OCS is pulling this data to