Lake County board workshop selects Zizkovich team to design Eustis High addition

The Lake County School Board’s workshop on Jan. 21 considered proposals for design professional services at Eustis High School and announced that the evaluation process produced a lowest‑score winner: Zizkovich (CT Hsu/Zizkovich) was selected to proceed as the district’s design professional for the project.

The project team and district staff described the scope as an addition and site work to relocate roughly 315 ninth‑grade students from the Curt Wright Center to the main Eustis campus and to provide facilities sized to accommodate about 600 students. District staff presented an estimated project cost of about $40,480,000, with allocations of roughly $2,000,000 for design services, $35,480,000 for construction and $3,000,000 for FF&E; staff said they anticipate a March 2025 notice to proceed and substantial completion by July 2027.

District procurement staff opened the workshop by describing the RFQ and the evaluation method. “We’ve got a pretty light agenda this morning with only 1 topic. 3.01 RFQ for design professional services at Eustis High School,” said district staff member Mister Zachary. The RFQ originally drew four proposals; the evaluation committee met Dec. 3 and invited shortlisted teams to present (all attended a site visit on Dec. 6). One firm, CPH Corp, later withdrew from consideration.

Three teams presented during the workshop. CT Hsu/Zizkovich emphasized its long history with the campus and prior master planning and restorations, saying the team had “proven methodologies and unparalleled knowledge of the Eustis High School campus.” Corrigan (presentation led by Carissa Oyeadele and colleagues) framed its proposal around user experience, community connection and a campus‑scale approach, and Corgan/Little’s team (led by Shawn Tracy and others) highlighted local site analysis, CTE integration and options for drop‑off and circulation improvements.

All three teams described shared design priorities heard from the district: CTE labs and vocational spaces that may require vehicle access, additional covered dining (including satellite serving strategies), a weight room, and significant site work to address tight topography and stormwater. Firms described multiple schematic options — two‑ and three‑story stacked plans, separated CTE buildings, and varying placements of covered canopies and parking decks — and proposed stakeholder workshops for program verification and community engagement. Cost control and sequencing to limit student disruption were recurring topics; cost estimator Chris Kramer noted design decisions and early CMAR coordination as primary tools for staying within the stated budget.

Board members focused questions on parking, student and parent queuing, stormwater and how double‑width, visually open stairwells would work in multi‑story options. Principal Clark and others emphasized safety at parent drop‑off along East Washington Avenue and the constrained site. As one board member summarized the evaluation tally, “Well, Zizkovich is the, the lowest score, so Zizkovitch is the selected vendor.” The board’s process uses cumulative numerical rankings from evaluation sheets (1–N ranking, where the lowest cumulative score becomes the recommended firm); after the presentations the district staff tallied the evaluation forms and announced the ranking.

Next steps described in the workshop: staff said the district will proceed to negotiate terms with the selected firm and that RFQ materials allow a 45‑day window for the district and the selected firm to reach agreement; if negotiations fail, staff said the district will move to the next ranked vendor. The board also noted that price proposals (fee and GMP) are not considered during this selection phase and will be developed later with the CMAR and during design.

The workshop closed with board and staff comments asking firms to carry forward ideas presented by other teams — particularly on parking and campus pedestrian connections — into the program‑verification phase if selected. The district said it will announce the formal contract action at a subsequent board meeting after negotiations conclude.