Bullitt County board hears construction update; March 1 set as substantial completion for multiple athletic projects

At its February meeting, the Bullitt County Board of Education received a construction update from Kate Noble Ward of Studio Kramer Architects, who said Calhoun Construction and the Motes Group received 14-calendar-day extensions that set a new substantial completion date of March 1 for key turf and field work.

Ward told the board the extensions were granted after a site visit and weather review and that the extension for Calhoun avoided liquidated damages. “We felt it was valid to extend Calhoun's contract by another 14 calendar days with a new substantial completion date of March 1,” Ward said.

The update covered multiple sites. Ward said Bullitt Central’s field work is sufficiently advanced that both baseball and softball teams can use the field; backstop netting was finished, and lighting and AV testing is planned in the coming weeks. At Bullitt East she reported all turf is down for the baseball field and that access points and flat work remain under final punchout. The Motes Group’s turf work and the bleacher co-op installations were also extended to March 1.

Ward described a package of change orders and contract transfers the board will see on the agenda, including insulation changes (noted as a shift from an initially described 1 inch to a 3.5-inch envelope that Ward said was structurally preferable), crediting of some site items (a $13,000 credit she described for miscellaneous Bullitt East site and building changes), and an approximately $47,000 credit after changing a retaining wall to a proprietary Allen Block product. She said a batting-tunnel concrete pad was enlarged to meet equipment and that a trench drain was added where the bleacher slope conflicted with the building to prevent water collection.

Ward also reported a light pole at Bullitt Central had to be moved because it conflicted with a Salt River utility line. She said the North Bullitt Physical Science Center items are mostly contract-to-material transfers: steel moved from contractor scope into a material direct-purchase order (DPO) and additional HVAC-related equipment similarly moved into a material DPO to better control procurement.

On schedule and next steps, Ward said the district will rebid two upcoming physical science center packages as two separate bid packages to maximize competition, and she recommended a construction start in warm, dry weather—she said June would be a likely start to preserve summer work windows and to have locker rooms/restrooms available for the next football season. She said some interior work could extend past the season, but exterior amenities could be prioritized for athletics.

Board members asked about consistency across bidders and materials; Ward said designs and basis-of-design documents will remain consistent so that, even if different contractors win packages, the finished work will match the district’s standards. Superintendent Michael Bacon (identified in the meeting as Doctor Bacon) and district staff reviewed and agreed to the time extensions before execution, Ward said.

No formal change-order approvals were recorded during Ward’s presentation; the presentation served to explain the recommended extensions and the package of change-order items the board will consider on the agenda.

The board did not take additional action during the update; Ward closed by asking if there were questions on athletic fields or schedules.

Ending: The construction update left the board with a March 1 milestone for multiple athletic sites and a plan to rebid two science-center projects in spring for summer starts. Pending formal approval of the change orders on the agenda, Ward said the district should have locker-room and field amenities ready for scheduled spring athletic events and the upcoming football season.