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Contractors report 90% design for Gravette high school addition; storm-shelter requirements drive costs
Summary
Design and construction managers told the board the high school classroom addition is at 90% design and on schedule for agency review, but storm-shelter structural and utility work, fire-alarm upgrades and site electrical and water connections have increased the current cost estimate.
Design and construction representatives updated the Gravette School District Board of Education on a classroom addition project at the high school, saying the designs reached a 90% completion milestone and are ready for review by state agencies including the Arkansas Department of Health, the Department of Education and the State Fire Marshal (now coordinated with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management).
The presenters said the design is at a point where it can be issued for bid after agency review and quality control, but several required items have added to the estimate. They specifically called out $80,000 for fire-alarm upgrades to tie new and existing systems together and $86,700 to run a roughly 700-foot water service to serve the addition. The team also identified contingency lines and a combined design/contract contingency that together exceed $337,000.
The largest driver, the team said, is the on-site storm shelter and the structural work to meet ICC 500 storm-shelter standards. That requires thicker concrete decks (4 to 7 inches), additional footing depth (24 inches instead of a usual 16 inches), wide-flange roof beams and a storm-shelter–rated enclosure for a 40-kilowatt diesel generator. The presenters estimated that, absent the shelter, the project might fall in the $350 to $400 per-square-foot range; the shelter factor pushed an estimate into the mid-$500s per square foot in the current estimate.
Nut graf: The board was told the project is on schedule for agency review and that market conditions for subcontractors have recently improved, but that structural shelter requirements, utility extensions and other code-driven work are the main cost drivers to watch during bidding.
Details and context
- The design team reached the 90% design milestone and will submit the drawings for regulatory review; they expect six to seven weeks for agency review and comment. - Line items noted during the presentation included $80,000 for fire-alarm integration, $86,700 to extend domestic water to the new addition (about a 700-foot run), and contractor/owner contingencies totaling more than $337,000. - The storm-shelter structural requirements (ICC 500) increase footing depths and slab thickness and require heavier structural members; a 40-kW diesel generator will be housed in a storm-shelter-rated enclosure. - The presentation included a $110,000 allowance for temporary parking improvements during construction; any unused allowance would revert to the project fund. - The construction manager said market conditions have softened from the peak; subcontractor participation is expected to be strong when the project is bid.
Board reaction and follow-up
Board members asked about items that could be tailored down (for example, limiting masonry veneer on non-street-facing elevations) and about how furniture and equipment procurement will be phased; the design team said some features could be adjusted but structural and shelter elements are not negotiable because they are code-driven.
Ending: The team said they will return to the board with bid-ready documents after agency review and will re-price the work prior to issuing bids to avoid overstating costs to the market.
