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Bolivar R‑I bond projects progress; board considers change order for old Ag building reconfiguration
Summary
District staff reported progress on multiple bond-funded construction projects and presented a proposed reconfiguration of the old agricultural building to add space for wrestling, strength conditioning and auto tech; staff said a change order request will be brought to the board next month if budgets remain on track.
District operations and facilities staff told the Bolivar R‑I Board of Education on Aug. 21 that several bond-funded construction projects are proceeding and that staff plan to seek a contract change order next month to reconfigure the existing agricultural building to support wrestling, strength and auto-technology programs.
Executive director of operations Mike Pitts gave progress reports on multiple capital projects. Pitts said the restroom and storage building at Liberator Park was ahead of schedule and nearly finished, that the new agriculture (AG) building had drywall starting and remained on track for substantial completion in December 2025, and that other work at BIS and BES — including bathrooms, slabs and roofing in one section — were on track for February 2026 completion. On the ECLC expansion, Pitts said design work was underway and demolition and dirt work were scheduled soon with a target substantial completion of April 2026.
Pitts outlined a planned rework of the existing Ag building at the high school to accommodate three programs that will occupy the space (wrestling, strength and conditioning, and auto tech). Dr. Methvin (district leadership) and Pitts showed a plan that shifts auto tech into the current weight-training area, opens the center column of the building to provide two full wrestling mats, and repurposes a classroom to add about 700 square feet for strength and conditioning. Pitts said the work will require HVAC relocation, restroom adjustments and storage reconfiguration; the administration will bring a proposed change order to BrandCo next month if budgets remain on course.
Nut graf: With multiple bond projects near completion, district staff said they are in a budgeting position to consider an interior reconfiguration of the old Ag building to better meet athletic and technical-program needs, and will ask the board next month to approve a change order if final cost and budget checks support it.
Board members asked about contingency and cost cushion. Pitts and Dr. Methvin said the district waited to pursue the interior rework until they had more certainty about expenditures and bond-proceeds earnings, noting roughly $500,000 in interest earned on bond proceeds that improved the district's financial position. Pitts said the original construction contract included a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) mechanism that reduced the risk of unbounded cost growth on the principal bond projects; that reduced perceived risk made staff comfortable advancing the interior reconfiguration as the next contract amendment.
Closing: Pitts said the restroom project at Liberator Park should be complete in a few weeks. If the board approves the September change order as planned, staff said work on the Ag-building reconfiguration would follow the wrap-up of the remaining bond work and could be available to students by the next school year depending on sequencing and any unforeseen issues.
