Gilbane says Columbia County elementary work completed; company reports $29.23 million final cost and returned savings

The Columbia County School Board on Oct. 28 heard a final project update from Gilbane, which said reconstruction work that included Eastside Elementary is complete and is being closed out pending the board’s approval of final pay requests.

Gilbane representative Todd Wittegren told the board the combined final cost for the projects is $29,225,939, near earlier estimates and under some projections that ranged from roughly $30 million to $35 million. He credited tight coordination among the contractor, the district and the architect for the on-time, under-budget delivery.

Adam Berducci, introduced by Wittegren as Gilbane’s North Florida business leader and senior project executive, presented a check to the district for $372,000 as returned savings from owner-direct purchasing and related cost efficiencies. Berducci said the team discovered an additional $515 this week, increasing the total returned amount slightly.

Wittegren and district officials credited district purchasing staff for the savings; Gilbane said owner-direct purchases and tax savings contributed to the $474,000 figure Wittegren later referenced as the broader owner-direct purchasing savings across the projects. The presenters emphasized local hiring and community participation, noting a signed commemorative sign and a single preserved brick from the previous building as project mementos.

The board’s formal business that evening included routine agenda, personnel and consent items that the chair said would address approval of pay requests and other closing actions; the consent agenda and personnel items were approved by voice vote during the meeting. The presentation did not include a roll-call vote specific to each pay request on the record at the time of the presentation.

The presentation drew multiple public expressions of thanks from board members and district leadership for the project team and for the half-cent sales tax the community approved to fund school construction. Board members said they welcomed the local economic impact and the completion of facilities designed with enhanced security features.

Next step: Gilbane requested board approval of final pay requests as part of normal closeout procedures; the board’s approval of pay requests is reflected in the meeting consent motions and related documentation.