Board approves $4.57 million demolition GMP for McEachern High home grandstand

The Cobb County Board of Education on March 19 approved a guaranteed maximum price of $4,566,437 to demolish the home grandstand at McEachern High School after engineers determined the structure was unsafe and unusable.

Superintendent (speaking as the board’s lead administrator) said the architect’s structural survey found the home stands could not be repaired and that the district must remove the stands to protect public safety. "They were deemed to be dangerous and unusable," the superintendent said, explaining the board is advancing a demolition-only contract now and will return with additional pricing for the new construction.

Mark Smith, who presented the GMP to the board, said the GMP being approved covers demolition and enabling work — site work, utility relocations and related preparations — and that a separate GMP (No. 2) will come later for constructing the new stands. "This is the guaranteed price. It could not go up from here," Smith said when asked how the district is protecting against rising costs.

Board members pressed staff on cost and scope. Board member Hudgens said he was concerned demolition was approaching replacement cost and asked whether the district can still deliver other SPLOST projects while absorbing this expense; Smith and the superintendent said the project includes substantial enabling work and that project costs reflect complexity (concrete removal, utility relocations and amenities relocation). The superintendent added that the district expects to draw on undesignated SPLOST classrooms funding and the McEachern endowment fund will be coordinated with the district to support overall restoration efforts.

Smith told the board the demolition portion is expected to be complete by July 2026. The board did not approve the construction GMP (No.2) at this meeting; staff said they will return with design details and the next GMP when available.

The board approved the GMP No.1 on the consent agenda.