District gets design, schedule and cost update for Stevens Middle School rebuild; contractor and district outline bids and alternates

The Port Angeles School District Board of Directors received a multi-firm update on design, schedule, cost estimate and bidding plans for the Stevens Middle School rebuild on Feb. 13, 2025.

Integris Architecture and the district reviewed the site plan and interior design concepts for the three-story replacement building that will sit adjacent to existing music and gym buildings. Architects described a central commons (cafeteria function) and a library positioned at the front for later community use, classroom clusters and flexible collaboration areas. Designers said interior finishes and environmental graphics are being guided by local input: “we identified these three regions or sort of microclimates … coastal, lowland forest and alpine” to inform colors, textures and wayfinding.

Amy Vanderhorst (presenter) said the team recently completed a 100% design development (DD) set and was advancing construction documents to minimize change orders during bidding. The project team emphasized durable natural materials and longer-life finishes to avoid fashion-driven design choices.

Forma (construction partner) and the district reviewed the DD cost estimate and contingencies. The presenter described a target guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of roughly $58.6 million and said the DD estimate came in at $58.09 million; the presenter characterized that result as “so $320,000 over.” (Transcript contains that exact phrasing.) The construction presenter said the DD estimate is within roughly a half-percent of the district’s target and framed that as an indicator of strong coordination among the design-build team.

The project’s planned phasing and bid strategy were described in detail. Banner (construction manager) and the general contractor explained early packages for site/civil work, structural concrete and elevator equipment because of long lead times. Banner indicated early civil mobilization and fencing would begin in spring (mobilize in April with early civil work starting in May) and said the structural foundations and main building packages would follow; large trade bid openings were targeted for July, with subs under contract about a month after bid openings if schedules hold.

The presentation listed bid alternates the district may add or remove depending on budget and bids: an athletic field (including conduits for future field lighting), rubber gym flooring vs. polished concrete, additional experiential graphics/graphics wall coverings around the stage, performance and stage lighting, auxiliary gym upgrades and additional exterior canopy. Team members said the field alternate is a high priority and that running conduits during initial site work preserves future options.

Construction manager Banner and district staff said they expect to attract local subcontractors for many packages, noting outreach events had been held in October and more contractor engagement events were planned in March and again in April/May ahead of major bid packages. The district said early packages will include temporary facilities and general conditions; Banner said a contract amendment would authorize early work so the project could break ground in May.

Why it matters: The rebuild will replace aging classroom wings and add modern learning spaces, with site phasing designed so students can transition into the new building before the district removes the old wing. The cost estimate and early bid strategy will determine whether high-priority alternates—most notably a new athletic field—can be included in the initial construction contract or must be deferred.

Ending: Board members asked about subcontractor outreach and local participation; presenters said they expected a strong local response and planned multiple bidder walk-throughs before awarding major packages.