Bennington board approves $661,611 in tennis-court contracts for second high school

The Bennington Public Schools Board of Education voted July 14 to award a package of contracts to build tennis courts connected with the district's second high school project, approving a package the administration presented as an early bid to complete one half of the originally planned six courts.

The bids approved by the board totaled $661,611, the district said. The board was told the package covers five subcontractor scopes including a tennis-surface contractor, subdrainage and grading, electrical and lighting, site access control, and landscaping. The district's presentation said the full six-court estimate at the same site had an early pre-construction estimate of $1,270,000 and that splitting the package left a budgeted target of $635,000 for this half; the awarded total is slightly higher but the administration said it expects some savings on the companion site because grading there will be easier.

Board members and staff said the awards were part of the early bid packages the district has been issuing for the second high school to keep the construction timeline on track. A district staff member described the intent as getting the courts completed in time to be usable in the spring following the winter season.

The motion approved the following awards as presented by district staff: Ramsport Services for site surfacing (listed in the district presentation at $350,040), Ashland Road Excavating for grading and subdrainage (listed in the presentation; $139,019 [as presented]), Mall Electric Service for electrical and lighting ($122,959 as presented), site access control to Housing Construction (listed at $43,000), and landscaping to Yamas and Nursery ($6,313 as presented). The administration gave the board a single total of $661,611 for the package.

Board members asked whether both high schools would have courts to practice on once the second campus opened; staff confirmed the courts are being phased so each site will have playable courts when open. The building finance committee reviewed the bids and reported the committee had no concerns about contractor experience or schedule at the time of the recommendation.

Action: The board approved the contract awards by roll call (all voting members present voted yes). The motion passed.

The district said further early and larger bid packages for the second high school will follow; the administration listed additional bid-package dates for later site and building work in August, September and October to keep the overall schedule moving.

Questions the board raised about contractor availability and surface specialists were addressed by the administration, which said most qualified tennis-surface subcontractors are local to the metro area and that some concrete scopes required for sidewalks are in limited supply.

The approval is part of the district's broader second high school project and is an early construction package intended to allow surface and site prep work to proceed ahead of later, larger trades.