Luther Burbank School District passed a $10,000,000 Bond Measure HH in 2018.
The ballot measure read:
To replace the Luther Burbank School District’s main building with a modern, state-of-the-art facility to provide students with a safe, secure, 21st century learning environment, and provide the local match for State grants, shall the District’s measure authorizing $10,000,000 in bonds at legal rates, raising an average of $685,000 annually to repay bonds through final maturity from levies of approximately 8.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, and no money for administrator salaries, be adopted?
The citizens gave their resounding approval and support of Measure HH.
Perkins Eastman designed and received state approval for the new facilities design.
Construction bids for the project was completed in Spring of 2022. The construction cost per square foot for the project was estimated at $1300 per square foot, far exceeding the industry average and expectations.
The District continues to explore its options. Presently, 3 options are before the board to consider:
Option 1: Proceed with approved designs. Current market estimates for construction are approximately $800 per square foot. This estimate is based on bid comparisons of current projects underway and are in the range of expected construction costs.
Option 2: Modify the building design through "value engineering" to narrow the funding gap for cost of construction. Additional architecht fees and resubmission to DSA for design/construction approval are required.
Option 3: Limit the project design construction to the classroom spaces only. Do not demolish the existing main building. Use cost savings to remodel the interior of the main building. This option preserves the existing main building with estimated value of $20-25 million and eliminates demolition cost estimated at $1,000,000.
The community is invited to learn more details regarding the design options and potential fiscal impacts for the district. Please join us on December 6 to learn and provide your feedback on construction project options under consideration.