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Chelsea School District staff recommend Rand–FICA team as low bid for proposed fieldhouse
Summary
District staff presented a design‑build recommendation to the board after soliciting eight proposals; the team led by Rand Construction Engineering with FICA Architects was recommended as best value. Board members asked about utilities, site impact, and funding timing; staff will return with formal recommendation in April.
The Chelsea School District on March 9 heard a design‑build proposal for a new fieldhouse and a staff recommendation to pursue a team led by Rand Construction Engineering with FICA Architects.
Chris Martin of Clark Construction, which has supported district bond management, told the board the district issued an RFP and received eight responsive proposals. After interviews and scored evaluations focused on cost, experience and design approach, the review team shortlisted three firms and recommended the Rand–FICA team as the best value. Martin said the recommended design is a roughly 150‑by‑150‑foot pre‑engineered fieldhouse with options for upgraded insulated metal panels, translucent panels to admit natural light, and an extended vestibule and masonry piers to improve aesthetics.
Martin said the design‑build approach reduced upfront risk and allowed the district to get a hard price more quickly than a full design‑bid‑build process. The team advised the board to include an allowance for site utilities and a 3% construction contingency; staff noted a preliminary utilities allowance figure of about $250,000 to cover water, gas and electric work that requires geotechnical and engineering work.
Board members asked how the options would affect long‑term operating and maintenance costs. Martin said the insulated panels and the translucent panels are designed to be durable and can reduce patching needs compared with exposed interior insulation, and that the vestibule could improve energy performance as an airlock. The recommended schedule would aim for construction completion by about the end of May 2027, though the team said final schedule depends on permitting and utility engineering.
Superintendent Mike and operations staff said the district has received private fundraising support for the project; fundraising leader John Daniels and his team have secured roughly $1.8 million in donations to date, which staff said helped shift the project beyond the originally scoped batting‑cage concept. Staff also said they will analyze the impact on the district’s sinking fund and other commitments — including renovation work at North Creek and softball field work — and return to the board in April with a formal recommendation and funding plan.
No formal contract vote occurred at the March 9 meeting; the board asked staff to provide a full financial scope for base construction plus necessary extras (security, AV, nets, turf, staging impacts) before voting. The district noted that batting cages and certain equipment were excluded from the contractor’s base price and would be procured separately.
The presentation included several site‑use and traffic considerations (construction staging, temporary impacts to the rear parking lot, and neighborhood traffic on Book Street) and possible repurposing of existing fields. Staff said they will provide more detailed financials and recommended base/option packages for the board to consider at its April meeting.
