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School City of Mishawaka approves contracts for Helms Elementary, $41.3 million project
Summary
The board approved contracts to build a new Helms Elementary School after bids came in under the districtbudget; construction is planned to begin in late 2025 and wrap in 2027. One board member recused.
The School City of Mishawaka Board of School Trustees voted June 11 to award contracts for the new Helms Elementary School after receiving bids that brought the project under the district's earlier cost estimate.
Architects and construction managers presented the final design, bid results and schedule before the board acted. "To date, we have completed the design, we've completed the construction documents and bid the project," said a representative of Hebert and Hebert during the presentation.
The school district's construction manager presented a cost summary showing a total project budget of $41,300,000, including approximately $36,300,000 in direct construction costs and about $4,900,000 in indirect and soft costs such as design, abatement and FF&E. Bids were opened May 22; the team reported more than 95 subcontractor proposals and mostly local participation.
Project timeline and phasing were described to the board: preliminary site utility work this summer, a late-September 2025 construction start for Phase 1, followed by Phase 2 building demolition and a planned completion around August 2027. A major bid alternate under review would add three classrooms at roughly $1.3 million.
Richard Hebert, project architect, described the building design, circulation and program layout. The plan centers classroom wings by grade level, separates a secured main entry and places the gym and auditorium with flexible operable walls. Tyler Blank, preconstruction director for FA Wilhelm, summarized costs and said the submitted bids were approximately $1.9 million lower than a February budget estimate of $43.2 million.
Board members moved and seconded a resolution to award contracts; the motion carried. One board member declared a conflict of interest and did not vote.
Board and staff commentary emphasized keeping the project in budget and minimizing community disruption during construction. The district will return to board with detailed alternate decisions and ongoing schedule updates as work proceeds.
