Daedelus Projects Inc. has been selected as the owner’s project manager for the first phase of the regional high school track project. The high school district committee voted 7-1 Monday to contract with the firm. The firm beat out Architectural Consulting Group of New Bedford and Atlantic Construction and Management Company. Interviews were held last week.

“They’re our eyes and ears on the project. They will be overseeing,” said Mr. Manter, who leads the school committee’s facilities group.

Daedelus also managed the initial design process of the track and fields overhaul project with the leadership of Joe Sullivan. Other projects on the Island have included the West Tisbury public library and police station.

“We wanted to continue that relationship that we knew rather than experimenting with a different organization,” Mr. Manter told the Gazette.

After a contract with the firm is finalized, the next step will be selecting an architect.

This is the latest iteration of a yearslong effort to overhaul the school’s outdoor athletic facilities. Last year, the school committee voted to install a new track facility with one artificial turf infield and five surrounding natural grass fields. The surface material of the fields has become controversial, and three towns held special town meetings to let voters decide whether to allow $350,000 to be spent on the design phase of the project. Voters in Chilmark rejected the proposal, but the project is expected to move forward, eventually going before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.

In other business, Chris Rogers, an auditor from Clifton Larson Allen Wealth Advisors delivered their report for fiscal year 2018. The audit found that the district was out of compliance with some practices relating to putting small projects out to bid.

“It does not mean that the costs were inappropriate, but they did not follow the guidelines. They didn’t follow the procurement process,” Mr. Rogers said.

School business administrator Amy Tierney said the issue stemmed from differences between federal and state guidelines for procurement.

Mr. Rogers also recommended that the high school establish a reserve fund to help manage requirements for use of extra funds in the budget, also called excess and deficiency, or E and D funds. School administrators learned this year that they are required to ask permission from towns before using the money.

“There’s a really big change in process,” Mr. Rogers said.

He said the school district’s liability for other post-employment benefits totalled $32.3 million. Pension liability totaled $2.6 million.