Board approves CMAR procurement and evaluation committee for Suncrest Middle School

Superintendent Eddie Campbell told the board the district would use the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) procurement and delivery method for the new Suncrest Middle School, a process recently authorized by state law for pre‑K–12 public schools in West Virginia. He said Williamson Shriver will serve as the architect of record and recommended an evaluation committee to review construction‑manager applicants.

Campbell described the CMAR approach: the district solicits applications rather than using a traditional bid; the evaluation committee will shortlist applicants, conduct interviews using a rubric, and recommend a construction manager to the board. He said the construction manager commits to a guaranteed maximum price and bears the risk for cost overruns (hence “at risk”), and that the architect and a district‑hired clerk of the works will monitor expenditures and reporting. Campbell said the process can reduce change‑order risk and improve cost control, and that the School Building Authority provides funding oversight.

Board members asked how project price estimates are developed, who oversees day‑to‑day reporting, whether a board member should sit on the evaluation committee, and how potential savings would be handled if bids came in under estimates. Campbell said the architect provides the cost estimate; the construction managers would propose the amount they can build for and would be responsible for overages. He said portions of any savings tied to School Building Authority funds would go back to that authority but that the district could negotiate how to handle savings on its portion of the budget.

The board moved and seconded the superintendent’s recommendation to approve CMAR procurement for Suncrest Middle School and to appoint the evaluation committee with Superintendent Eddie Campbell as chair, architect Greg Martin, Deputy Superintendent Donna Talarico, Maintenance Supervisor Christopher Walls, Project Manager Chris Gillespie, and Treasurer Nicole Kemper. After discussion about committee composition and the option to add a board member later, the motion was approved by voice vote.

The board noted that this is the first time CMAR is being used for schools in West Virginia at scale, and that other counties (Putnam, Cabell) are on similar timelines. The superintendent said the district would follow statutory reporting requirements and hire a clerk of the works to provide transparency and routine reporting to the district.