Bath County board weighs sprinkler option for middle school, approves masonry and inspection work at high school

The Bath County Board of Education on July 28 heard a design-development update on the Bath County Middle School renovation and was urged to move a sprinkler system from an alternate into the base bid to reduce likely change orders during construction.

Design-team representatives told the board the middle-school design is about 75% complete and that adding sprinklers to the base bid would simplify construction sequencing and reduce the number of unanticipated “holes” contractors would need to patch after demolition. The design-team representative said including sprinklers in the base bid would raise the construction-line item for HVAC, electrical and plumbing but could lower later change-order risk; board members were told the district would review formal cost figures at a documents review meeting scheduled for Aug. 19 at 10 a.m. at the board building.

Why it matters: board members raised safety and budgeting questions. Staff said sprinklers are one accepted way to meet fire-protection requirements; alternatives include additional fire dampers, higher fire ratings on doors and walls, and targeted repairs where openings are found. Staff cautioned that keeping sprinklers as an alternate gives the district flexibility at bid day but can encourage bidders to raise prices to cover either scenario, while making sprinklers a base bid gives contractors certainty about materials and mechanical scope.

In discussion, cost ranges were cited as approximations: staff offered a hypothetical example in which core construction scopes without sprinklers were in the ballpark of $10 million and including sprinklers could raise that line to about $12 million; separate comments estimated sprinkler work at several hundred thousand dollars (figures cited in discussion were approximate and described by speakers as estimates to illustrate tradeoffs). Staff said the overall project budget would not necessarily change, but shifting the sprinkler scope from an alternate into the base bid would change which construction items are guaranteed on bid day and which remain optional.

Board members and staff also discussed site utilities for the annex building tied to the middle school. The design team reported a new site survey and said they will propose options to separate the annex building’s water and power meter from the middle school if it fits the budget; that separation would allow independent metering and capacity monitoring for the annex.

High school work: the board was updated on the Bath County High School renovation punch list and approved two formal items related to that project. The board approved change order proposal PR-37 (masonry tuckpointing) addressing leaks near the high school kitchen and gym, and it approved special inspection services for the BCHS Lavec Phase 2 project (BG-22-520) to review soil/asphalt conditions tied to an earlier asphalt change order. Staff said masonry work followed a hose test that identified upper-wall leak locations and recommended filling and re‑pointing mortar at those spots; the special inspection will verify whether selected asphalt areas need full-depth replacement or can be milled and overlaid. Separately, staff reported starting PR-34 (brick work) and finishing kitchen/mechanical room repairs.

Testing and balancing: the board was briefed on testing-and-balancing work by Thermal Balance Inc. Staff said Thermal Balance’s original contract was about $25,000 and that the firm has invoiced roughly $22,000 to date as work in the gym and other HVAC areas was completed; staff said the remainder of that contract will be billed only as final work and corrections are addressed.

Votes at a glance (construction items) - Approved: BCHS renovation BG-22-376 change order proposal PR-37 (masonry tuckpointing). Motion by Eric; second by Ashley; motion passed. (See provenance.) - Approved: BCHS Lavec Phase 2 BG-22-520 special inspection services by Ellie Greg. Motion by Kim; second by Eric; motion passed. (See provenance.)

Ending: Board members scheduled a detailed review of the middle-school construction documents and budget for Aug. 19. Staff said they will present line-item numbers and updated drawings at that meeting so the board can decide whether to commit the sprinkler scope as base bid before finalizing bid documents.