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Board approves GMPs and change orders for safety upgrades and Valley Middle School renovations
Summary
The board approved guaranteed maximum prices for two school safety projects and two Valley Middle School change orders (including a kitchen combi oven and layout/soundproofing adjustments); administrators said the bids came in slightly above estimates due to electrical costs but remain within referendum targets.
The Grand Forks School Board approved guaranteed maximum prices (GMPs) for safety and security additions at Winship and Lewis & Clark schools and approved two change orders for Valley Middle School construction work, as part of the district’s ongoing referendum-funded capital program.
The finance/building committee presented two low bids for safety/security additions: a Winship project (bid amount discussed as approximately $1,492,715) and a Lewis & Clark project (bid amount discussed as approximately $1,208,784). Committee members recommended approving both projects together; administrators noted the bids came in slightly higher than internal estimates largely because of electrical and proprietary low-voltage work tied to fire and communication systems.
The board also approved two Valley Middle School change orders. Change order 7 (owner-directed) added a combi oven and required electrical adjustments; the change order total was recorded as $106,003 (the $50,000 oven was a major portion of that cost). Change order 8 (user-directed) covered multiple layout and finish modifications — media-tech layout and storage changes, admin area layout and insulation adjustments, FACS classroom layout alignment, music-area insulation and day-treatment relocation — with a total cost of $88,245. The board approved both change orders by roll-call votes.
Administration emphasized that the safety/security work had been prioritized into tiers based on need and feasibility and that tackling higher-priority items earlier should reduce long-term costs. The district reported that the overall safety-and-security portion of the May referendum is tracking near the $18 million target (items bid to date are slightly over that figure but within overall contingencies and assumptions), and administrators said they would monitor subsequent bids such as Lake Agassiz and Schrader projects.
Ending: The approvals allow construction to continue under the approved GMPs and change orders; staff said they will return with implementation updates and further bid results as projects progress.
