Board of education rejects bids on MCHS addition By SANDRA STONE The Meade County Board of Education held a special called meeting July 27 to discuss the bids received on the auditorium/athletic complex addition/renovation of Meade County High School. Superintendent of schools Mitch Crump said he was disappointed that the bids came in significantly over the estimated costs and recommended rejecting them. Crump said they would continue to look at the project to determine why the costs were so much higher than estimated. One issue, conceded Crump, is that this is not new construction. There are many more variable, he said, when a contractor is working around a school with students in the building, and that may have been a factor. “When we have a project exceed our estimate,” said Kenny Stanfield of Sherman Carter Barnhart, “the first thing we do is look at why.” Stanfield then gave the board members a synopsis of what he knew to that point. Seven contractors said they were interested in the project; four ended up bidding. One contractor wanted the project, but he said the project cost was more than he could bond. All the bids received were comparable, said Stanfield, and then added that the contractors have been very cooperative in sharing numbers with the architects so they can try to determine why there was such a great disparity between the estimate and the actual bids. Some aspects of the project – roofing, demolition, geothermal and steel prices – were significantly higher than anticipated. Another factor in the cost increase was the phasing of the project. What would typically be a 12-month project will likely be an 18-month project because of school being in session, thereby increasing the contractor’s overhead. “What we want to do,” said Stanfield, “is look at each item and prepare a list of what we see as a cost savings.” Stanfield and his team will work on an addendum to the bid package in preparation for asking the contractors to rebid the project. The good news, said Stanfield, is that the contractors wanted to keep their bid documents, an indication that they remain interested in the project. Stanfield did note that the costs on the auditorium were not exceeded, and they received a very good bid on the acoustical package. He recommended not rejecting that bid as it is good for 60 days and he hoped to have the project rebid in that time frame. Following a question and answer period, Crump asked for a motion. Greg Beavin moved to reject the bid. On a second by Eugene Sheeran, all were in favor. One other agenda item was the purchase of a pulper unit for Flaherty Elementary School. The dishwasher at the school, said Rodney Pickering, is on its last leg. The pulper would make it easier to handle the waste generated by food service at the school. Paper products will replace the plastic trays and glasses previously used. On a motion by Sheeran, seconded by Belinda Cross, the board was unanimous in its approval to accept the Dine Company’s bid for the SPC-75S waste handling system.
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