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Pocahontas board narrows school design options, sets construction-manager timetable
Summary
The Pocahontas School Board reviewed three updated site plans and asked staff for cost and shell options to preserve capacity for future classrooms; members discussed gym placement and agreed to pursue a procurement schedule that aims to secure a construction manager under contract by November.
The Pocahontas School Board reviewed three revised site plans on June 2 and asked staff for more detailed cost and sequencing information for the district’s planned school replacement project. Board members focused on where to put the new gym, whether to build an unfinished shell for future classrooms, and a procurement calendar to hire a construction manager.
Staff presented three designs: an updated original layout, the earlier plan shown to the board two weeks earlier, and a new option that places the gym on the east side of the campus. Board members debated trade-offs between site circulation and preserving the existing "rock building"; some members said an east-side gym would reduce crowding, while others worried about access, bleacher placement and whether parts of the older structure could be salvaged.
The board directed staff to produce cost scenarios showing (1) the east-side gym plan with a shell that could be finished later as four additional classrooms and (2) the base two-story academic option. The shelled approach was discussed as a cost-risk trade-off: building an unfinished space now could reduce future disruption but may raise initial construction costs.
On procurement, staff outlined a public solicitation and evaluation plan. The board heard that a typical schedule would open the construction-manager solicitation for roughly 30 days, require submission review, bring at least three finalists for interviews or presentations, then rank firms and negotiate a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) with the top-ranked firm. If the board rejects that GMP, it would proceed to its second choice. Board members emphasized transparency in scoring and noted a November deadline to have a construction manager under contract to meet the project timeline.
Next steps: staff will produce cost-comparison scenarios for gym placement and the shelled expansion, refine site access and staging cost estimates, and prepare the solicitation/rubric for the board to review at upcoming work sessions. The board discussed holding additional work sessions in July and August to meet the procurement calendar.
