Board approves Southwood construction bid packages after Ygrene presentation

Ygrene representatives presented guaranteed maximum price summaries for the Southwood Elementary and Southwood Junior High School projects and the MSD Wabash County Schools board approved the bid packages by voice vote.

The board heard from a Ygrene presenter who said the bids showed competitive participation and modest variance from prior budgeting. "We're about 1 to 3% variance from the last budgeting," the presenter said, adding the packages for elementary and high school work came in at "16.6 on elementary and 19.8 on high school," and that recommended alternates offered good value and were proposed for inclusion.

The presentation also addressed site and utilities questions from board members. In response to concerns about subsurface drainage and whether new wastewater lines would discharge into the same system, the presenter said the stormwater retention (a chamber system) and the demolition package are incorporated into the scope and that the new parking-area drainage and roof storm drains are separate from the wastewater treatment system.

After the technical discussion, a board member moved to approve the recommendation to accept the bid packages; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote.

The approval authorizes the district to proceed with the recommended GMP bid packages and specified alternates for the Southwood projects; the board did not record a roll-call tally in the public transcript. The district indicated follow-up procurement steps and forthcoming sub-package approvals (steel and related items) will occur at subsequent meetings.