Haddonfield School District officials told the Board of Education on a facilities update that several referendum-funded projects are moving from design to bid stage, but trustees voted to reject bids for interior work at the district’s 1890s-era Central building after bids exceeded cost expectations.

At the board meeting, Jeff Potter, a consultant from Lamb Associates, said the district plans to put multiple packages out to bid on Oct. 30, including the high school auditorium renovations paired with Lower C Wing classroom alterations, and the Tatum and Hatton second-floor additions. Potter said Colliers is performing a third‑party cost-estimate review for projects going to bid.

“October 30 is the day for that project. We’re gonna go out to bid on that one,” Potter said of the auditorium/classroom package. He gave a multi-project timeline that included a December 2025 targeted bid date for Hopkins field amenities and parking, with mobilization in March and substantial completion the following summer. Potter said the Tatum and Hatton additions are on track for construction that would allow them to open for students by Labor Day 2027.

Rich Brown, the district’s construction representative, briefed the board on projects already underway and near completion, including punch-list work on several summer renovations and the ongoing auditorium and practice room renovations at the middle school. Brown said the middle‑school auditorium contractor mobilized around Sept. 23 and the job is roughly 60–65% complete.

Brown also explained why the district plans to reject bids for the Central School (the “1890s building”) interior alterations. He said several bid line items came in substantially higher than expected — notably HVAC pricing that returned roughly $133 per square foot versus the $50–60/ft2 the district expected for similar work. The bids also exposed an unexpectedly complex chimney and other hidden conditions in the historic structure.

“We had three things that came in kind of high that was a little bit surprising. One was the HVAC,” Brown said. He described alternatives the design team is pursuing, including redesigning mechanical systems, making an elevator an alternate bid item, and a design approach that would retain the exterior historic chimney while modifying interior layouts to avoid heavy demolition.

Board members asked when they would see design finishes for the Tatum and Hatton additions and for Hopkins gym concepts; Potter said admin and designers will bring finish selections back to the board for review before finalizing bid documents. Potter emphasized an aesthetic goal: “we very much want things to look timeless… modern but classic that it fits within the frame of Haddonfield,” he said.

The board approved a motion to reject all bids for the Central/1890s interior alteration project and directed staff and consultants to pursue the lower-cost design options and rebid strategy discussed at the meeting. Brown said the design team believes retaining the exterior chimney and shifting some interior circulation elements can reduce cost substantially.

The district also reported other referendum work in design or early construction: A wing and C‑wing window replacements (historic preservation approvals received), a new nurses’ suite and classroom alterations at Central, districtwide fire alarm replacement design work, and a grouped bid strategy that uses state co‑op contracts for seats and AV to reduce general‑contractor costs.

Why it matters: The referendum projects include major capital work across multiple schools that will affect classrooms, the high‑school auditorium and athletic fields. Rejected bids and redesigns could delay portions of the referendum schedule or change the budget allocation between packages; staff said they are pursuing redesigns that avoid extensive structural demolition in the historic 1890s building to reduce cost and historic‑preservation risk.

What’s next: Consultants said several bid packages remain targeted for Oct. 30; Hopkins field and parking is slated for a December 2025 bid with mobilization in March; the district will return to the board with revised scopes and rebid strategies for the 1890s building. The board’s official action rejecting the Central bids was recorded in the business and finance section of tonight’s agenda.

Ending note: Board members and staff emphasized preserving historic exteriors where feasible and grouping equipment purchases to achieve better unit pricing on smaller projects.