Board approves summer referendum projects and multiple contractor awards for five schools

District staff and the project team presented the results of bid Pack 1 and recommended awards for several summer projects funded through referendum work. The projects cover five schools — Riverview, Monroe, Stangel, Washington and Wilson — with work scoped to add secured entries, ADA restrooms, study rooms, classroom reconfigurations and auditorium refreshes.

Ryan Schmidt (managing director) and Justin Smith (project manager) outlined the bidding process and cost buckets: hard construction, owner soft costs (furniture and equipment), risk reserves and inflation/escalation. They stressed tight summer schedules and the need to secure materials early; doors and door frames were flagged as an early procurement concern.

Project-specific recommendations included awarding masonry work to IEI General Contracting (De Pere), storefront/glazing to OmniGlass (and Corcoran as bidder), steel studs/drywall to HJ Martin, ACT ceilings to Appleton Acoustical, resilient flooring to Caden Services, and painting work with local vendors such as Lee's Color Studio. The presentation noted some categories came in under budget compared with earlier estimates, while the Washington auditorium scope required additional clarification and caused a higher bid in that line.

Board members discussed contingency usage and whether to approve added scope items immediately or defer them for later consideration. The team said contingency and GMP agreements would structure how added scope is handled and that district approval would be part of any contingency spend decisions. Trustees expressed support for local contractors participating in the work and approved the recommended contract awards and to proceed with contracting for the presented packages.