The Davenport Community School District board approved a suite of construction and procurement contracts tied to the district’s long-range facilities plan. The board awarded the North High School additions and renovations general contract to Bill Bruce Builders, Inc., in the amount of $29,542,000. Director Potts moved the award; the motion passed by voice vote.

Other project approvals included: the North High School HVAC and controls contract awarded to Trane US Inc. for $4,337,401; a Bluegrass geothermal heat pump replacement contract with Trane for $820,660 using PEPPOL funds under the OMNIA purchasing agreement; Madison flooring replacement with Engineers Floors for $440,855.93; interior painting contracts for Madison ($113,645) and Wilson ($83,370) with K & J Finishing Company; and equipment and software purchases including PowerSchool Business Plus renewal for $255,382.93 and a music curriculum and instrument purchase through West Music for $53,668.73. All motions were moved, seconded and approved by the board.

Why it matters: these awards are part of the district’s Phase 1 and early Phase 2 facility investments, which the board and staff say are intended to address deferred maintenance, expand capacity and modernize learning environments. Board members discussed bid alternates and why the district accepts alternates together as a package to avoid having multiple general contractors on the same site. As one facilities representative explained, awarding alternates to different general contractors would require two contractors to work simultaneously in the same project footprint, which is not operationally practical.

Funding and oversight: several projects used PEPPOL/OMNIA cooperative purchasing agreements; the board confirmed bids met competitive and procurement rules and asked for close oversight on schedule and alternates. The board also heard that North High additions came in about 5% over some estimates but recommended to accept the overall low responsive bidder and all alternates.

Next steps: the district will proceed with contracts and execute construction and vendor agreements under standard procurement and project oversight processes. The board will receive updates from the long-range facilities planning committee and staff as projects progress.