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Campus site work bids far exceed estimate; board weighs rebid, partial scope or an accelerated campus master plan
Summary
Site‑work bids for the district’s long‑range campus project came in far above the $2 million estimate, pushing combined site and electrical totals 'over $6,000,000.' Trustees discussed rebidding in a different season, scaling to smaller safety‑critical work, or pausing to accelerate a broader middle‑school/campus study before committing major funds.
The district’s facilities director told the board that public bids for the long‑range site improvements opened Feb. 29 and produced far higher pricing than planned, prompting the board to consider three response paths: rebid in a better season, adopt a smaller scope limited to urgent items, or pause the project pending an accelerated campus‑scale planning process.
Mr. Weitzel displayed the approved site plan showing relocated central parking, expanded tennis courts from six to eight, new bus stacking, pedestrian sidewalks and stormwater management changes. He reported only two site bids and one electrical bid were received; the low site bid was reported as "55.3" in the bid tab and the lone electrical bid was $775,000, which together pushed the combined cost to more than $6,000,000 against an original budget of $2,000,000. Staff identified multiple causes: the 2021 budget baseline, increased construction and stormwater costs, unforeseen subsurface conditions that require larger underground stormwater systems, utility constraints and poor bid timing that left many contractors committed elsewhere.
Trustees debated options. Several favored pausing the large‑scale project and speeding a comprehensive campus master‑plan process (an 18‑month community engagement and feasibility timeline was discussed) to evaluate whether a new middle school or other reconfiguration would change the site needs. Others recommended rebidding in late summer/early fall to increase contractor competition, or rebidding a partial package (for example, relocating tennis courts behind the high school then converting the old courts to parking). Trustees flagged safety‑critical items (walkways for student pedestrians) as candidates for prioritized, smaller investments while the district completes broader planning.
District staff also presented a list of other facilities proposals that will move forward for formal award consideration at the regular meeting: interior partition walls ($53,920), essential fire‑alarm replacements at Patton Middle School (~$500,888), refrigeration replacement at Unionville Elementary (~$1,100,472), roof restoration at Patton (~$602,000) and a low bid to replace a cafeteria/kitchen roof at the high school (~$1.6M).
No contract awards were approved at the work session; trustees asked staff to return with a recommended sequencing and estimated costs for a rebid versus a scaled‑down emergency package.
