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Committee questions why 5,100 sq ft reduction yielded smaller-than-expected cost savings
Summary
A committee member asked why a reported 5,100 sq ft reduction in program area did not translate to larger construction-cost savings; staff and estimators said savings vary depending on which spaces were removed and will share the estimators' written response.
During the meeting Sean pressed staff for an explanation of a reported discrepancy between reduced square footage and estimated cost savings.
"When the school administration came back with a 5,100 square foot reduction in what they thought we need for a building, the rough estimate was about $900 a square foot for new construction... I mean, it should've been closer to 5,000,000, and I think it was 2,500,000," Sean said, asking why the arithmetic did not match his expectation.
PMA and Flansburg staff replied that two independent estimators reviewed the exercise and produced similar ranges but that savings depend on which spaces were removed. As a Flansburg representative put it, if square footage reductions occurred in "basic spaces, not large spaces such as cafeteria, gymnasiums," those areas carry a lower per-square-foot value and therefore produce a smaller dollar reduction.
Staff agreed to re-forward the estimator correspondence and to circulate the written response to committee members so Sean could review the detailed calculations.
The exchange consisted of a question from a committee member, an explanation from PMA/Flansburg staff about estimator methodology, and a planned follow-up to share the estimators' detailed response.
