School board hears Gilbane say new schools finished on time and under budget; $372,000 check returned to district

Gilbane representatives told the Columbia County School Board on Oct. 28 that reconstruction work on district schools is finished and that the final project cost for the program came in at $29,225,939.

The presentation by Mr. Wittegren, a Gilbane representative, noted the district’s early estimates had been in the $30 million to $35 million range and credited district oversight and consistent on-site supervision for delivering the finished work amid rising building costs. "Final project cost is going to be at $29,225,939," Mr. Wittegren said.

Adam Berducci, identified as Gilbane’s North Florida business leader and senior project executive, presented a check to the district for $372,000 as returned savings from the project and said an additional $515 was located after the initial reconciliation, raising the returned amount slightly. "Tonight we're proud to present a check in the amount of 372,000, that is the savings being returned back to the District," Berducci said.

Gilbane and district presenters also described owner-directed purchasing and procurement steps as responsible for further savings; Mr. Wittegren said that owner direct purchasing saved about $474,000. Board members and district staff named on-site construction supervisors and procurement staff were repeatedly thanked for helping projects stay on schedule and under budget.

The contractors said they salvaged the old school sign and one original brick from the replaced building as mementos for the district and described the local ties of the project team. Board members praised the results and reminded the public that voters had approved a half-cent sales tax used, in part, to fund the new buildings.

No formal Board vote on the final pay requests was recorded in the publicly read transcript of this meeting; Mr. Wittegren described the projects as complete "pending Board approval tonight of the final pay requests." The record does show routine agenda and consent votes later in the meeting but does not record a separate roll-call or tally for any final-pay approval in the transcript provided.

The board did not discuss additional follow-up steps on the construction accounting during the portions of the meeting recorded in the transcript. The district will decide formally whether to accept the final pay requests at the board’s authorized action point if that item appears on an agenda for action.