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Board approves design pricing for consolidated elementary school despite a roughly $6 million funding gap
Summary
The board approved design development pricing for a new consolidated elementary school after hearing that hard and soft costs total about $56.8 million, funding secured totals about $50.1 million, and an estimated $5.98 million gap remains; leaders said they will continue value‑management and fundraising efforts.
The Warren County Board of Education approved the design development pricing for the proposed Warren County Consolidated Elementary School after a presentation by district staff, the project manager and the construction manager at risk. The project team reported that conceptual hard‑cost estimates had risen from an initial $42 million to a design estimate above $47 million for construction; the current combined hard and soft cost estimate was reported at about $56.82 million.
District staff summarized available funding: needs‑based public‑school capital grants totaling approximately $42.88 million, county matches and commitments (approximately $13.2 million in approved/pending county funds), and district repair and renovation lottery funds of about $1 million, yielding roughly $50.1 million in funds currently on hand or pledged. The team reported an outstanding funding gap of roughly $5.98 million and described three rounds of value‑management meetings that reduced cost and refined the design without compromising key elements.
Board members discussed the tradeoffs of waiting for additional funding versus rising construction costs, and affirmed continued collaboration with the county and project partners to close the gap before construction. The motion to approve design development pricing carried; the district said it will proceed to construction documents while continuing to identify funding sources and cost reductions.
