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Radnor Facilities Committee previews Ithan Elementary bid release as board members press for line‑by‑line cost detail
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Summary
The committee reviewed the project timeline and a staff recommendation to authorize public bidding for a full replacement of Ithan Elementary. Board members pressed architects and the construction manager for detailed explanations of estimates that rose from mid‑$50 million figures to roughly $77–79 million; an owner‑initiated tree‑removal change order was presented as a schedule‑driven reallocation of funds.
Ken Morris, administrative staff for the Radnor Township SD Facilities Committee, told the panel at its Nov. 11 meeting that the administration will seek board authorization on Nov. 18 to advertise bids for a full replacement of Ithan Elementary School and that bids would be received in January with contract approvals expected at the February board business meeting.
Architect Steve Behrens of Breslin Architecture summarized the multi‑phase project history, saying the district moved from a 2020 feasibility study through programming and schematic design to the construction‑document phase now being completed. "We're looking forward next week to the Board authorizing the administration to release the new Ithan Elementary School for public bidding," Behrens said during the committee preview.
Why it matters: the release to bid starts the formal public‑procurement clock and will produce firm market prices for the full construction scope. Committee members said they need a clear accounting of large estimate changes before voting to let the project hit the market.
Cost escalation and board concern A committee member asked for a detailed reconciliation after earlier presentations showed an Option 3 estimate of "57,000,565" (and other mid‑$60 million figures in earlier materials) and more recent estimates were discussed in the meeting as roughly $77 million to $79 million. The member said: "I would like much more detail on how we got from that...where we're currently sitting is 77,000,000, 79,000,000. I need a lot more."
Damien Sparr, representing Site Logic (the district's construction manager), told the committee his team continually tracks market pricing and refines estimates. "We every day are paying attention to cost changes in the construction industry," Sparr said, adding the firms used multiple data sources and compared similar recent projects to normalize estimates. He described the team's goal of aligning the district's estimate with the market and said, where necessary, the district would pursue redesign or value‑engineering and, in some cases, rebid packages to restore competition.
On change orders and procurement limits Committee members also pressed staff on steps to minimize post‑award change orders. Sparr and Behrens explained there are legal limits under Pennsylvania public‑procurement rules that prevent the district from contract provisions that would entirely eliminate contractors' rights to make claims; instead the district relies on detailed construction documents, allowances, and front‑end contractual controls to reduce unwarranted claims. Behrens noted the project team has employed value‑engineering measures and extensive review to limit scope and cost creep.
Schedule and next steps Staff said if the board authorizes release to bid, public notices will run in local publications for three weeks, bids will be received in January, and the board would be positioned to approve contracts in February. The committee did not vote on a release at the meeting; the authorization was placed on the full board agenda for next week.
Owner‑initiated tree‑removal change order As a related agenda item (4.02), staff recommended an owner‑initiated, value‑added change order assigning winter tree removal and associated temporary site‑work to the current demolition contractor, Manafort Construction, to meet seasonal restrictions tied to Indiana brown bat habitat. Staff said the work was priced competitively (Victory identified as the lowest tree‑work proposer) and that the funds are a reallocation from the overall Ithan estimate, not new additional district spending. Ken Morris said the tree work must be performed within the district's identified window: October 1 through March 31—outside that window additional habitat study would be required.
Public comment and procurement standards Public commenter Bob Dweig urged the committee to delay the bid release and to adopt a responsible‑contractor standard. Dweig said such criteria—which some neighboring municipalities and the county now use—help screen for litigation history, defaults, apprenticeship programs and other indicators of contractor responsibility and can reduce the risk of contractors winning on a low price and relying later on change orders. "I would respectfully ask that you would hold off on the released bid for next week," Dweig said.
What happens next The Facilities Committee placed the bid‑release authorization, the Manafort change‑order approval and the DynaTek controls contract on the full board agenda next week for final action. If the board approves the release to bid, staff will publish the bid documents and proceed with the procurement schedule described to the committee.
Provenance: Committee preview and discussion of the Ithan Elementary project, cost estimates, change orders and the owner‑initiated tree‑removal change order were discussed throughout the committee briefing and Q&A (committee presentation and Q&A).
