Bid approval for the DeKalb West School construction project has been delayed by a month
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David Brown of Kaatz, Binkley, Jones, & Morris Architects of Mount Juliet, updated the school board on the project Thursday night. Brown said bidding will be delayed a month but that won’t affect the projected completion date. “We are hard at work wrapping up DeKalb West,” said Brown. “We have a couple of loose ends we’re tying up this week. One is your low voltage and technology package where the budget came in way, way not where we wanted it to be so we have been working with Systems Integration to repackage that and get it back down where it needs to be budget wise. We’re also wrapping up the kitchen design. We’ve got a few improvements to make there. We’re going to meet one last time on Monday and wrap that up. I am going to slide the schedule. Not your move in schedule. You’re still going to have everything done and move in by August 2014 but I need to slide the date that you approve the bids. Instead of approving bids at your April school board meeting, I need you to approve bids at your May school board meeting. That affects when we get started a little bit but not when you move in. On bid day we’ll have different packages for the contractors to submit pricing on. One is the storm shelter itself. The next is the traditional construction which would be any miscellaneous renovation, the kitchen and all the work that goes along with that. Number three is the roof which we can evaluate. Number four is what Johnson Controls is doing as apart of the new construction where they are guaranteeing the (energy) savings that you’re going to see. We have been working with Johnson and their folks. Their engineers evaluate and recommend but its actually our engineers that do the drawings, stamp them and have them in the plans. We’re having to work with them very closely to make sure we have everything just right. So basically we’re in the home stretch and we’ll have an update next month. By May we’ll have numbers you folks can evaluate and act on hopefully and then get mobilized and be ready to go by the time school gets out. We’re not going to get done in August. We’ll get done over the summer to give us time to do a punch list and give you folks time to move in and then open for business in August 2014. But the construction will be done before then,” said Brown
The proposed addition will be constructed in the front of the school, including eight classrooms, restrooms, a new secure entrance, an office, clinic, conference room, guidance and teacher work area. A cafeteria and kitchen renovation is also included for the school.