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Box Elder board approves architects and construction managers for ninth‑grade additions amid community concern
Summary
The Box Elder School Board approved architects and construction managers to design and build ninth‑grade additions at Bear River and Box Elder high schools, authorizing district negotiators to finalize fees. The move drew public questions about sequencing, costs and a recorded no vote from one board member.
The Box Elder School Board voted to approve KMA as the architect for Bear River High School and NJRA/NGRA as the architect for Box Elder High School and to authorize business and facilities staff to negotiate professional fees for ninth‑grade additions. The board also approved Westland Construction and Hogan Construction (construction manager/general contractor selections) to serve as CMGCs for the projects.
Board members said the selections followed a competitive procurement process in which a nine‑person committee reviewed books and interviewed finalists. Facilities Director Corey Thompson told the board the district ran separate scoring and interview processes for the two high‑school projects because each campus has different physical constraints and program needs. Thompson offered a rough construction estimate of $30 million to $35 million per school for construction components, saying total program costs could range—depending on scope—between roughly $60 million and $70 million for both projects.
The board discussed timing and cost assumptions at length. Trustees asked about what the architect fees and contractor general-conditions percentages would add to the total cost; Thompson said architectural fees are typically a percentage of construction cost (roughly 4% for a repeat design and 5–6% for a custom design) and construction management percentages vary. He said the district will refine budgets during the design process and involve school and stakeholder representatives in decisions.
One trustee registered a formal dissent during the voice vote, saying that, four months after voters rejected a bond package by a large margin, approving design teams now risks moving forward with projects the community does not support. The motion carried on a majority voice vote after brief discussion.
Next steps include negotiated design agreements with the approved firms and an early design phase with campus representatives. District staff said they plan to return to the board with fee agreements and a clearer cost estimate as the design is defined. The board adopted the motions for both architects and CMGCs at the same meeting; the approvals grant district negotiators authority to finalize fees and scope.
The board’s approvals were procedural steps; no construction contract or funding appropriation for construction was finalized at the meeting. The superintendent and facilities director said the district will work to identify design options that meet educational needs while refining cost estimates for future board review.
