Burlington board approves under-budget contract for James Madison demolition

The Burlington Community School District board on June 29 approved awarding the James Madison demolition contract to Midwest Demolition, accepting the apparent low base bid of $487,000 plus alternate two for $5,000 for a combined $492,000 — a figure district staff said is below the project's original base estimate of $626,115.

District staff presented an eight-bid tabulation and recommended Midwest Demolition as the lowest apparent qualified bidder. "We received eight bids ... Midwest Demolition Contractor is an apparent low bid," said Jessica, the consultant from Klinger who oversaw the bid process. She told the board staff had requested bidder qualifications from Midwest and checked a reference provided by the company from a similar project for Knoxville School District.

In a public hearing portion of the agenda, contractor John Gioski of G&B Construction told the board he had submitted a competitive package and highlighted the range of asbestos-abatement pricing he had seen in the market: "My bids range from 108,000 to 289,000 to remove the asbestos," he said, adding that abatement timelines can vary and that he would prioritize completing the work on schedule. Gioski also said a St. Louis union contractor included in his bid came in at $208,000 for abatement.

Project timing presented to the board calls for a proposed start at the end of July with work completed by the end of November, a roughly 120-day schedule that staff described as allowing time for a month of abatement, one to two months of demolition, and final backfilling and site work. Greg Reynolds, district staff presenting the recommendation, said combining two district projects left roughly $900,000 budgeted for both; the award for James Madison keeps the combined cost under that number.

Board members asked about the substantial spread among bids for demolition work and were told wide variance is common in demolition due to differences in how bidders plan to protect paving, handle heavy equipment, and manage special-waste items.

Staff noted statutory procurement constraints. "Per the Iowa code, we have to take the lowest apparent qualified bidder," a staff member told the board during the discussion.

The board moved to award the contract as recommended; the motion passed by voice vote. The approved award and the board discussion preserve the district's stated timeline and budget oversight; staff said they would continue standard pre-construction checks on contractor qualifications and insurance before signing the contract.

What happens next: staff will complete final compliance checks with the apparent low bidder, finalize contract paperwork and communicate the start and staging plan to the community before work begins.