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Board hears high‑school design update; consultants say value engineering cut $1 million
Summary
Consultants and the district reported schematic‑design progress on the new Kings Local high school, said the current estimate is about 1.8% over the prescribed budget, and described value‑engineering moves including a revised event entry that reduced estimated cost by $1 million.
Kings Local School District trustees received a progress report on the new high‑school design Tuesday, during which district consultants outlined schematic‑design milestones, upcoming estimates and value‑engineering steps intended to bring construction cost closer to the prescribed budget.
Holli MacLean of MCS & Associates said the project moved through schematic design and that the team’s recent estimating work had reduced the gap from roughly 5% above budget in November to about 1.8% above the prescribed budget in the current schematic estimate.
"We're going to develop an overall of what you guys have seen so far," MacLean said, and noted that at schematic design the team estimates at a per‑square‑foot level while later design phases (design‑development and construction documents) will give more detailed equipment and system sizes that reduce assumptions.
Charlie Janigan of SHP described specific value‑engineering decisions that the team says produced meaningful savings. Janigan said the design team reduced the volume and complexity of the event/theater entry — a change he estimated saved about $1,000,000 — clarified courtyard scope and lowered some concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall heights and glazing quantities to cut costs.
"We were able to move to the current design on the right. And as you can see, the volume came down. It didn't change any of the square footage in the building, we estimated about $1,000,000 in savings," Janigan said.
Other adjustments Janigan discussed included a two‑foot reduction in a floor‑to‑floor elevation that he said yielded roughly $160,000 in savings, and calibrating classroom casework to Ohio School Design Manual minimums so any additional cabinetry could be priced as alternates.
MacLean and Janigan said the team expects another round of estimating during design development (they noted a March print date for the next estimate) and a later construction‑document estimate that will refine equipment sizes and subcontractor pricing. They described plans to phase some site work this summer and present a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) in stages if early procurement is warranted.
Board members asked about contingency and stormwater. MacLean said the owner's contingency had not been reduced because soil and early site risk remain; Charlie Janigan described a redesigned detention basin located south of the stadium and said gravity drainage will be used rather than a pumping station. The team noted Deerfield Township inspects stormwater outlets and inlets and that routine maintenance will be required.
MacLean said the project is following OFCC benchmarks and the Ohio School Design Manual (OSDM) standards used by the state for school projects.
No action was taken; the board received the update and consultants said they will continue value engineering and more detailed estimating as the design progresses.
