Riverside School Board has approved an agreement for facility condition assessments as part of the district’s efforts to develop a facilities plan.

The professional services agreement with the Cleveland-based Bialosky and Partners Architects will cost $102,104 and include assessments at the Riverside Campus, LaMuth Middle School, Buckeye Elementary School and Melridge Elementary School. District Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Gary Platko said the board will use the findings as it considers future facility improvements.

The agreement was part of a buildings, grounds and operations consent agenda approved in a 4-0 vote on May 25, with board member Jennifer Harden absent.

Four firms responded to the district’s request for qualifications document, Platko said at a May 11 special board meeting. Bialosky and another firm “ranked very similar” in the top two, but Bialosky’s price was nearly $86,000 lower.

Assistant Superintendent Charles Schlick said the district was “unable to find anyone that would have a difference” between the two firms, with both receiving positive reviews from their clients.

Board member Belinda Grassi said she was “extremely impressed” with Bialosky’s personnel, adding that the results will provide “complete data about what’s in our buildings, what needs to be done.”

“It’s just going to be a really great road map for us, to be able to figure out what our next step is going to be,” she added.

Board member Thomas Hach said the agreement was “not an insignificant decision.”

“This is really where we’re starting to put the rubber on the road as far as redoing things in the campus and other buildings,” he said.

The request for qualifications document noted that the assessment process includes three phases.

The first phase will include an assessment of the buildings, infrastructure and maintenance plans. Bialosky will also inventory the facilities and their infrastructure, take photographs and speak with managers and maintenance personnel.

Platko added that this work will take place in the summer.

During the second phase, he noted that the firm will “develop a comprehensive list of recommended projects for improvements, repairs, renovations and capital improvements.” This list will prioritize the improvements and estimate the cost of each one.

As noted in the RFQ document, each item on the list will receive a priority rating of one through five. Items given a rating of one are considered “critical.” Items given a rating of five do not need to be addressed unless the district engages in “substantial work.”

For the third phase, the RFQ document notes that Bialosky will be required to submit a written report and a spreadsheet with its findings.

Platko said that the “target date” for the final report is Sept. 30, though he added that “that date may be subject to change.”

School officials and Bialosky are currently considering an early June date for a “kickoff meeting,” Platko said May 25.

“We talked about possibly doing one of the assessments first and then doing the other three concurrently, just to save time and to make sure that what they’re producing is what we expect,” he said.

Platko added that the overall cost was broken down by school and phase. The costs are $12,763 each for Melridge and Buckeye, $25,526 for LaMuth and $51,052 for the Riverside Campus.

The board has been considering a new facilities plan following the defeat of a bond levy in May 2022. It hired NV5 Global as an owner’s representative in September.

NV5 strategic project manager Orli Perez spoke with the district’s “key stakeholders” before a Feb. 2 work session, where she discussed options for a potential plan. She recommended that the board conduct a facilities condition assessment and start with changes that will not require a bond levy.

According to the RFQ, the projects proposed during the assessment process should be phased over a ten-year period from 2024 to 2034.