City Manager Fidel Maltez is asking that the city council move forward with funding for a comprehensive Chelsea High School cafeteria expansion and renovation project.
In total, the project cost projection request requires $2,665,697, according to Maltez.
At Monday night’s meeting, the council moved the request to its new ways and means subcommittee, where it will be reviewed before coming back to the council for a second reading and potential vote.
“The CPS cafeteria project was conceived as an expansion of the CHS cafeteria student seating area and kitchen and relocation of the teacher dining and teacher prep areas,” stated Maltez. “The cafeteria was built for 1,000 students, but with nearly 1,700 students in (school year) 2023, it does not meet current needs.”
The total estimated cost of the base project is $6 million, with funding anticipated from the school lunch fund, prior school capital projects that are no longer active (a total of $2.47 million), and Capital Investment Plan (CIP) FY24 new project funding in the amount of $1,505,000.
“The School District reports that, unfortunately, the fund balance from the School Lunch Fund is lower than anticipated last spring and an additional $495,000 in new capital funding is needed to provide the full base project estimate,” stated Maltez.
According to Maltez, the city does have the funds to cover the supplemental request. A total of $495,697 can be covered from excess funds remaining in the Early Learning Center roof replacement and the Williams Middle School HVAC replacement projects. Two other school projects, the elementary expansion design project and the Early Learning Center HVAC project, also have funds that can be contributed to the high school cafeteria project.
The transfer of extra funds from those completed projects totals $2.47 million.
“The balance of funds needed, a total of $495,000, will require a transfer from school stabilization,” Maltez stated. “Because this overall project is extremely important to future functioning of the Chelsea High School, we feel these costs are justified and ask that the council approve the requested financial transactions.”