Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Owyhee School Construction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Single responsive bid for Owyhee combined school comes under state allocation; board to vote next week
Summary
District staff said one responsive bid for the Owyhee combined school base package was below the state allocation of $64.5 million; the district plans to present the bid to its board next Tuesday and hopes to use additional state funds to cover alternates.
Dr. Joshua Byers told the county commission that the rebuilt Owyhee combined school solicitation initially drew no responsive bidders, prompting a narrower scope and a re-bid. At the district’s most recent opening the superintendent said one responsive base bid was received and the base number came in under the state’s $64.5 million allocation.
Why it matters: the project is a major state-funded construction effort for a rural combined school and the district said it intends to keep state dollars separate from local pay-as-you-go funds. The district plans to ask its board to approve the contract at its next meeting; construction would begin when ground conditions allow and the district aims for a ready date in the 2027–28 school year.
Bid process and funding plan: Byers said the district removed nonessential items such as certain athletic facilities to keep the core educational scope inside the state allocation. The base bid was under $64.5 million, and the bid package included eight alternates that total about $1.5 million; if additional state funds — referred to in the meeting as the AB 5 19 allocation for rural counties and a separate $25 million set aside for public schools on tribal lands — are awarded, the district expects to fund some alternates.
Timing and approvals: Byers said the board will consider the bid at its meeting next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. "Assuming it's approved by our board, then we would start pretty immediately," he said. The district said the target completion is in time for the 2027–28 school year, which would meet the state grant expenditure timeline.
County clarification and legislative interest: Chairman John Carr emphasized that the $64.5 million is state money and not drawn from the district’s or county’s pay-as-you-go funds. County staff noted outreach by federal and state elected officials; Byers said representatives from Senator Rosen’s and Senator Cortez Masto’s offices have shown interest.
Next steps: the district will present the bid and recommended contract to its board for a vote next week. No county action was required or taken on the bid during this commission meeting.
