The Washington County School Board heard construction updates for David Crockett and Daniel Boone high schools and moved to award the security-vestibule and boiler replacement contracts after receiving a low bid of $2,269,420 from Norwell Company.

The presentations and bid disclosure matter because the district is using educational capital funds and must reconcile the low bid with the capital appropriation. Paul Ginger of Lewis Group described interior and exterior finishes at both high schools and told the board the construction-document check set for the security project was nearly ready for state review and for advertising for bids.

“Once that masonry goes off, they’ll be able to do the roof and the windows,” Paul Ginger said, describing progress at David Crockett. At a separate presentation on the boiler project, the apparent low bid was disclosed: “it would appear that the apparent low bidder is Norwell Company. And that number was, $2,269,420,” Ginger said.

Board members discussed timing and contract terms. The bids include a roughly 365‑day contract period, and staff said an August 1 anticipated start date was planned for both schools. Board members asked whether the district could require earlier completion; several suggested negotiating incentives or a firm completion date to try to have systems operating before students return.

District staff told the board the apparent low bid exceeded the amount the commission had approved from the educational capital fund. “This lowest bid exceeds that by $69,420,” a staff member said, and recommended that the board either use general‑fund maintenance dollars to cover the difference now or have the finance director ask the county commission to increase the educational capital allocation.

Legal and budget staff outlined recommended motion language to reflect contingency: accept the apparent low bidder pending verification of licensure and required forms, and authorize award contingent on the commission’s or board’s confirmation of funding to cover the $69,420 difference. The board made a motion to award to Norwell “by everything goes through like it needs to be” and set a target to have work completed before school starts; board discussion made clear no notice to proceed would be issued until vetting and funding adjustments were finalized.

Board members also reviewed the procurement process: the bids will be publicly advertised and circulated through local builder exchanges, and the construction team will submit documents to the State Fire Marshal for review. Staff said they would return with any outstanding vetting results and a final funding resolution for the board and commission.

The board’s direction was procedural: staff were directed to (1) verify bidder documentation and licensure, (2) negotiate the contract timeline and any completion incentives, (3) request the county commission to consider increasing the previously approved educational capital allocation to cover $69,420, and (4) withhold any notice to proceed until those items are resolved.

Board members asked staff to report back as soon as the verification and commission action were complete; staff agreed to notify the board the next day if vetting raised any issues and not to issue a notice to proceed until all clarifications were complete.