Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Construction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
West Bend-Mallard school board approves construction contract, requests value engineering to rein in costs
Summary
The West Bend-Mallard Community School District approved a construction contract with Sande Construction on April 14, 2026, contingent on value engineering after bids exceeded architect estimates; the board also approved Piper Sandler agreements related to SAVE bond financing.
The West Bend-Mallard Community School District Board of Directors approved a construction contract for a new school addition with Sande Construction on April 14, 2026, after board members asked the company to pursue value engineering to reduce costs.
The board moved to accept Sande Construction’s low bid opened April 9 and approved the contract on a motion by Dawn Schmidt, seconded by Dave Bruellman. The board conducted a roll-call for that motion naming Dave Bruellmen, Dawn Schmidt, Nicole Myer, Jillian Hansen, Chris Montag and Lisa Traub; the motion carried. Developmental costs not included in the bid (for items such as furniture) were estimated at roughly $610,000, which the board said brings total project costs above $5.4 million.
“Those bids came in much higher than the architect’s prediction,” said Dawn Schmidt, who led the motion and said the community expects the district to make prudent choices. Joel Armitage of Sande Construction responded, “We could do some value engineering,” and said his firm had ideas for areas to reduce cost without compromising the project’s core functions.
The board separately approved financial agreements to support the district’s borrowing: a Financial Underwriter Agreement with Piper Sandler for SAVE bonds and a Dissemination Agent Agreement with Piper Sandler. Jillian Hansen moved and Nicole Myer seconded approval of the underwriter agreement; Chris Montag moved and Lisa Traub seconded the dissemination-agent agreement; both motions carried.
Board members discussed examining the plans to identify cost-saving adjustments that would not create future problems. Nicole Myer suggested reviewing the plans line-by-line to find sensible cuts rather than measures that might lead to increased costs later.
Next steps include value-engineering work with Sande Construction and continued discussion of funding details; the motion approved the contract contingent on the district and contractor pursuing cost adjustments rather than abandoning the project.
