Berkeley County Board approves $338,653 demolition at Hanahan Middle School

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. — The Berkeley County Board of Education voted Dec. 4 to approve a $338,653 contract to demolish a portion of Hanahan Middle School, following a recommendation from the board’s capital planning committee.

Dr. Karen Whitley, a member of the capital planning committee, told the committee that approving the demolition now was necessary to keep the overall renovation schedule on track. “Approval for demolition at this stage is critical to ensuring that the project remains on track,” she said during the committee meeting.

The contract covers demolition work that includes asbestos abatement and temporary fencing, administration representatives told the committee. The demolition cost will be incorporated into the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the larger construction contract; the district staff said the GMP exhibit will be presented to the full board for final approval at the board meeting scheduled for Jan. 6, 2025.

Committee members voted 3–0 to recommend the contract, and the full board approved the measure by voice vote after the committee’s report. Board attendance called at the start of the special meeting included Wofford, Ramsey, Baker, Davenport, Bradley, Wigfall, McQuillan and Coates; the chairwoman noted the committee recommendation and put the item before the board.

District staff and board members said the district terminated negotiations with the initial contractor in November and negotiated with the second-ranked contractor. The transcript identifies the original contractor as Edifice Construction and the contractor now negotiating the larger project as HG Rentals; staff said the first contractor had been providing pre-construction services but had not begun demolition work.

Board members asked whether the demolition scope was new or had been included in the original project plans. District staff said the scope of work is the same as originally planned, but because the district is negotiating with a different contractor the board needed to approve the demolition contract under the new contract. Administration said the prior contractor’s pricing had differed and that the current demolition figure of $338,653 would be folded into the GMP once finalized.

District officials told the committee and board that the project’s target opening for the renovated Hanahan Middle School is August 2026 and that beginning demolition immediately is intended to preserve that schedule and avoid cost increases tied to delay.

The board also noted procedural matters: the capital planning committee authorized the recommendation in a special called committee meeting earlier in the evening, and the board convened a special meeting to consider the committee’s recommendation so demolition could begin before the holidays.

The board did not specify funding sources for the demolition cost during the meeting. The administration said additional contract pricing for the full renovation remains under negotiation and will be presented with the GMP on Jan. 6, 2025.