Piedmont board hears construction update; intermediate, elementary and shelter projects move toward spring starts

Lingo Construction and the Stacy Group gave the Piedmont School Board a multi-project construction update, reporting that work on several bond-funded school projects is moving from design and bidding into site work and spring construction.

The presentation covered a recently completed Black Box Theatre at the high school, lighting upgrades planned for the middle school, an intermediate school still finishing design, a six-classroom shelter addition at Stoneridge Elementary, a 65,000-square-foot elementary school and districtwide turf installation bids. Presenters said bidding and earthwork are underway and that the district should receive an updated guaranteed maximum price (GMP) package by the next board meeting.

Lingo Construction representative (name not specified) said the Black Box Theatre at Piedmont High School finished in late December; the company described it as a roughly 130-seat space with a 600-square-foot stage. The middle school lighting project is at the submittal stage and, if permitting and submittals proceed as planned, construction should begin in February and continue into March. The lighting scope shown for the middle school includes seven new light poles at the north drop-off area and two building-mounted fixtures to illuminate sidewalks.

The intermediate school is completing design and has already bid earthwork; presenters said earthwork bids started in December and are finishing this week, with interior finishes and remaining trades to follow and a planned groundbreaking in March. The site plan includes separated bus and car circulation, staggered start times, and a master-planned eastern expansion area reserved for future growth. Presenters noted detention basins and several drainage measures to keep water flowing as it has historically.

For Stoneridge Elementary, the project includes a shelter addition described as six classrooms, two toilet rooms and a shelter capacity calculation listed in the presentation as 913 occupant capacity for the shelter. The intermediate and the Stoneridge shelter are being bid together to gain efficiency given their proximity, and construction of those two packages was described as scheduled to begin in March. The 65,000-square-foot elementary school is expected to be bid about a month after the other two packages and to start construction in April.

Presenters repeatedly flagged traffic and staging as major concerns for nearby residents. Lingo Construction said the intermediate and elementary designs separate bus and car traffic, use double-stacked on-site car lanes to move vehicles off surrounding public roads, and provide alternate circulation during construction so neighborhood streets do not dead-end or trap traffic. The firm also showed how construction phasing would change traffic patterns starting in August of the next school year and said crews plan to phase roadway work so normal traffic flow returns for the school start.

The presentation identified an on-site waterway and a low-lying drainage area on the intermediate site that the speaker called an Army Corps of Engineers–protected zone; that area may require a lengthier permitting process. The presenter said, “If we do that project, it's like a year long process,” when explaining permitting implications for road realignment through that area, and noted the potential for protected species being present in wetland buffers.

Contracting and bidding activity is active: presenters said earthwork, utilities and pavement packages are already out to bid and that participation from bidders has been “above average” so far. They told the board the first-round GMP for earthwork/utilities/pavement will be available by the next board meeting; finishes pricing will follow in subsequent weeks.

Other items shown in the package: the district is consolidating the turf installation bid across sites; presenters said the turf package is below earlier estimates and bidding returned lower than initial projections. The team also described alternate parking pads that could be added if the district chooses to expand parking beyond code-minimum requirements.

The board did not take a vote on the presentation itself. Board members asked staff and the contractor to return with the GMP details and clarified that the intermediate and Stoneridge work is intended to be ready for the 2026 school year when possible.

Looking ahead, presenters said permits, utility relocations and sequencing of roadwork around Stoneridge will determine final start dates; the board was told to expect updated guaranteed maximum prices and more detailed schedules at the next meeting.