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Middle‑school auditorium renovation bid exceeds available funds by about $28,655; committee to vote soon
Summary
Bids for a middle‑school auditorium renovation came in higher than the district’s $510,000 allocation; the low bid of $538,000 leaves a shortfall of $28,655. The committee discussed phasing work and using rental or capital balances and agreed to consider a vote at the next meeting or sooner.
The Northbridge School Committee heard an update on the planned middle‑school auditorium renovation that revealed a funding gap between construction bids and the district’s available budget.
A presenter told the committee the district received three bids for the project ranging from $538,000 to $747,000. “The low bid right now is $538,000,” the presenter said, and noted that the $510,000 currently allocated to the project does not cover that low bid. That leaves a shortfall of roughly $28,655 if the committee wants to award a contract this summer.
Committee members discussed options to proceed. The presenter described a phased approach: perform structural work now (replace plywood and carpet, paint, reinstall seats) and defer seat reupholstery until a later appropriation. The presenter said rental revenue from auditorium use—currently higher than budgeted—could be used to cover part of the gap, and additional balance exists in other capital accounts such as the middle‑school boiler fund that has been used previously to support auditorium work.
The presenter noted timing constraints if the district intends to do the work this summer: under competitive bidding rules the contract must be awarded within 30 days and the project would need a substantial completion date in August to be ready by the opening of school. “If we do want to move forward in order to make the award, we have to also secure the funding required for the contract amount,” the presenter told the committee.
Members expressed support for moving forward if the funding can be found, and agreed to schedule the item for a formal vote at the next meeting or sooner if additional funding allocations are prepared. No formal vote on the auditorium contract was taken at this meeting.
Next steps: the committee will consider reallocating available rental revenue or existing capital balances to cover the shortfall and expects to vote on whether to award the contract at the next meeting or an earlier special vote if feasible.
