Board is set to vote Tuesday on accepting a $246,543 design award for roof and HVAC work while disputing the state’s underlying cost assumptions

Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News

LAS CRUCES - Las Cruces Public Schools is preparing to accept a state design award for major roof and HVAC work at Conlee Elementary School while telling state officials their underlying project-cost estimate is about $2.6 million too low.

The Board of Education is scheduled to vote Tuesday on accepting a $246,543 Public School Capital Outlay Council award for design work at Conlee.

But in a letter accompanying its acceptance, LCPS says the state’s revised assumptions still do not reflect current construction costs or the full scope of work the district believes will be necessary.

The district’s independent estimate puts the total project cost at about $8.3 million. The state calculation cited by LCPS puts it at about $5.7 million — a difference of roughly $2.6 million.

LCPS also estimates the design phase itself is about $99,205 underfunded.

The district says it is accepting the award so the project can move forward, but expressly states that doing so should not be interpreted as agreement with the state’s Maximum Allowable Construction Cost, total project cost, design funding or the assumptions used to calculate those amounts.

What the Conlee project includes

The state award provides design funding for replacement of roof and HVAC systems across much of the Conlee campus, including portions of the school dating to its original 1954 construction and later additions.

LCPS also sought a technical correction to expand the recognized scope of the project.

The district says the project should account for an additional 6,776 gross square feet of roof replacement, bringing the total project area to 70,884 square feet, along with replacement of lighting, ceilings and wall finishes throughout the facility.

According to LCPS, the work involves more than replacing individual building systems and will require coordination across an occupied school campus.

The district’s estimate includes roof and HVAC replacement along with ceiling, lighting and wall-finish work, taxes, design costs and other project expenses.

LCPS says the state’s current estimate does not adequately reflect those costs.

District accepts award but disputes the math

The $246,543 award approved by the Public School Capital Outlay Council is for the design phase, not construction of the full project.

LCPS says it wants to accept the funding and proceed while preserving its disagreement over how much the eventual project is expected to cost.

In its letter to the Public School Facilities Authority, the district says its independent estimate shows the state calculation is about $2.6 million below what LCPS believes will be required to complete the anticipated work.

The district also says the design funding remains approximately $99,205 below what it expects to need for architectural, engineering, specialty consulting and related services.

Tuesday’s vote would accept the state award and allow the district to continue into the next stages of planning and design.

The Board of Education’s regular meeting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Dr. Karen M. Trujillo Administration Complex, 505 S. Main St.

Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.