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School board approves $5.9 million contract
Thelma Grimes/San Pedero Valley News-Sun
The Benson Schools Governing Board approved a $5.9 million contract in a special meeting Thursday that will allow construction on various projects in the district to get under way.
The nearly $6 million is part of the $14.8 million bond approved by voters last year. The bond funding will go toward remodeling and improving the schools' aging facilities.
The first phase of the project, with groundbreaking expected within the next 30 days, will include the construction of a new student dining area.
This is a major part of the first phase. The new building will not only be for student dining, but will be large enough to seat between 400 and 500 people, allowing the building to be used for plays, concerts and community events.
The funding will also go toward a new field house, home restrooms, visitor restrooms, concession stands and bleachers near the football field.
Access to the football field will also become easier has the current plans call for contractors to link 6th Street to Union Street, just west of the bleachers. More parking will also be added. This part of the project will require the bus yard to be reconfigured, new bus yard paving, and the addition of sidewalks, curbs and fencing.
There will also be additions to the gym lobby and new public restrooms will be added to the sports complex.
In seeking project bids, the district utilized what is known as the Construction Manager at Risk model, which requires the construction company to guarantee the maximum cost of the project, and justify those prices. During construction, the contractor may come in under the bid, but cannot go over.
The $5,997,656 contract awarded by the school board to Core Constructions does not cover architect fees and related soft costs for permits, surveys and testing. David Woodall, Superintendent of the Benson School District, said those fees would be covered under a separate contract the district has with its architectural firm EMC2.
Woodall said the contract is a good deal for the project, noting that the current economy has allowed them to get the best price possible for all the work that needs to be done.
Woodall said the architect thought that due to the struggling construction market, now was the time to seek bids.
The architect was right, with the district receiving about 160 bids from subcontractors all over the state.
"It is a very competitive environment right now," Woodall said. "To get that many bids in a small rural area is great."
While construction is slated to begin within the next month, Woodall said the order in which the projects are to be started has yet to be determined.
"We have to work around school events and really consider the order of the projects," he said. "These projects will provide a major facelift to the district, and will be highly visible to the general public. These improvements will allow us to transition into Phase 2 of the bond-building program, where we hope to begin utilizing the old cafeteria for temporary classrooms as we condemn and demolish old classrooms and build new classroom wings. By reducing old square footage, we can also qualify for future school facility board monies at an earlier date."
Benson is a growing school district with about 1,200 students currently enrolled.
The Benson Schools Governing Board approved a $5.9 million contract in a special meeting Thursday that will allow construction on various projects in the district to get under way.
The nearly $6 million is part of the $14.8 million bond approved by voters last year. The bond funding will go toward remodeling and improving the schools' aging facilities.
The first phase of the project, with groundbreaking expected within the next 30 days, will include the construction of a new student dining area.
This is a major part of the first phase. The new building will not only be for student dining, but will be large enough to seat between 400 and 500 people, allowing the building to be used for plays, concerts and community events.
The funding will also go toward a new field house, home restrooms, visitor restrooms, concession stands and bleachers near the football field.
Access to the football field will also become easier has the current plans call for contractors to link 6th Street to Union Street, just west of the bleachers. More parking will also be added. This part of the project will require the bus yard to be reconfigured, new bus yard paving, and the addition of sidewalks, curbs and fencing.
There will also be additions to the gym lobby and new public restrooms will be added to the sports complex.
In seeking project bids, the district utilized what is known as the Construction Manager at Risk model, which requires the construction company to guarantee the maximum cost of the project, and justify those prices. During construction, the contractor may come in under the bid, but cannot go over.
The $5,997,656 contract awarded by the school board to Core Constructions does not cover architect fees and related soft costs for permits, surveys and testing. David Woodall, Superintendent of the Benson School District, said those fees would be covered under a separate contract the district has with its architectural firm EMC2.
Woodall said the contract is a good deal for the project, noting that the current economy has allowed them to get the best price possible for all the work that needs to be done.
Woodall said the architect thought that due to the struggling construction market, now was the time to seek bids.
The architect was right, with the district receiving about 160 bids from subcontractors all over the state.
"It is a very competitive environment right now," Woodall said. "To get that many bids in a small rural area is great."
While construction is slated to begin within the next month, Woodall said the order in which the projects are to be started has yet to be determined.
"We have to work around school events and really consider the order of the projects," he said. "These projects will provide a major facelift to the district, and will be highly visible to the general public. These improvements will allow us to transition into Phase 2 of the bond-building program, where we hope to begin utilizing the old cafeteria for temporary classrooms as we condemn and demolish old classrooms and build new classroom wings. By reducing old square footage, we can also qualify for future school facility board monies at an earlier date."
Benson is a growing school district with about 1,200 students currently enrolled.
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hmmm wrote on Mar 25, 2009 9:37 AM:
wild idea I know. "