Bids for new Northeastern middle school
come in $2M under budget
LAUREN HOFFMAN
For The York Dispatch
06/19/2007
A local school district could end up paying less than expected for a building project.
The Northeastern school board received bids from local construction companies Friday afternoon for the district's middle school building project.
Board members, along with representatives from the appointed architectural group, EI Associates, were pleased with the results, which brought the project in under budget.
"This is the first project in which bids have actually come in under budget -- I believe in the entire history of the school district," said Superintendent Dennis Baughman.
The total cost of the project came in at $26.75 million -- approximately $2 million less then the allotted budget. Twelve different contracts have been assigned to various construction companies, all of which have agreed to hold their current bids.
The new school is planned at the intersection of Board Road and Chestnut Street in East Manchester Township, at the border of Manchester borough. A parking lot would connect it to the current high school.
Groundbreaking will occur around Aug. 1, and construction will last approximately 20 months. The project should be completely finished by May 2009.
The middle school, which is expected to house seventh- and eighth-graders, is set to open for the 2009-2010 school year. It is expected to have a capacity of between 1,000 and 1,063 students.
A representative of EI Associates called the bid pricing for the project "phenomenal."
Can keep the greenhouse: The middle school building project will include a 13- by 30-foot greenhouse to be used by the science department. The greenhouse will cost approximately $105,000, and some board members expressed concern.
"If needed, the science department could survive without this greenhouse," said board member Rebekah Gross.
Because it is a specialty construction project and the materials (primarily glass) are more expensive, the cost of the greenhouse will be about $200 per square foot, while the average cost of the overall construction is around $160 per square foot.
The board had been prepared to cut the greenhouse project out of the plan, but was able to keep it because of the low bids. The members voted unanimously to keep the project as is.
The board also discussed plans to have ceiling-mounted projection units placed in every classroom the school.
"Most of the buildings utilize a cart on which to set the projector; however, children are prone to tripping over the cords that are used," Baughman said.
But one board member initially urged caution in regard to the ceiling-mounted units.
"Call it women's intuition, but when I think of technology, I get the feeling that it may not be around in five years," said board member Margie Walker. "Everything changes. And then what we may have is holes in the ceiling in 35 different rooms."
Baughman said the ceiling-mounted units are an anticipated technology expense and are worth it, and the board agreed. There were no votes against the plan.
The next project for the district is a connecting walkway between the middle and high schools. That plan is currently in the design stage.
-- Reach Lauren Hoffman at 854-1575 or news@yorkdispatch.com
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come in $2M under budget
LAUREN HOFFMAN
For The York Dispatch
06/19/2007
A local school district could end up paying less than expected for a building project.
The Northeastern school board received bids from local construction companies Friday afternoon for the district's middle school building project.
Board members, along with representatives from the appointed architectural group, EI Associates, were pleased with the results, which brought the project in under budget.
"This is the first project in which bids have actually come in under budget -- I believe in the entire history of the school district," said Superintendent Dennis Baughman.
The total cost of the project came in at $26.75 million -- approximately $2 million less then the allotted budget. Twelve different contracts have been assigned to various construction companies, all of which have agreed to hold their current bids.
The new school is planned at the intersection of Board Road and Chestnut Street in East Manchester Township, at the border of Manchester borough. A parking lot would connect it to the current high school.
Groundbreaking will occur around Aug. 1, and construction will last approximately 20 months. The project should be completely finished by May 2009.
The middle school, which is expected to house seventh- and eighth-graders, is set to open for the 2009-2010 school year. It is expected to have a capacity of between 1,000 and 1,063 students.
A representative of EI Associates called the bid pricing for the project "phenomenal."
Can keep the greenhouse: The middle school building project will include a 13- by 30-foot greenhouse to be used by the science department. The greenhouse will cost approximately $105,000, and some board members expressed concern.
"If needed, the science department could survive without this greenhouse," said board member Rebekah Gross.
Because it is a specialty construction project and the materials (primarily glass) are more expensive, the cost of the greenhouse will be about $200 per square foot, while the average cost of the overall construction is around $160 per square foot.
The board had been prepared to cut the greenhouse project out of the plan, but was able to keep it because of the low bids. The members voted unanimously to keep the project as is.
The board also discussed plans to have ceiling-mounted projection units placed in every classroom the school.
"Most of the buildings utilize a cart on which to set the projector; however, children are prone to tripping over the cords that are used," Baughman said.
But one board member initially urged caution in regard to the ceiling-mounted units.
"Call it women's intuition, but when I think of technology, I get the feeling that it may not be around in five years," said board member Margie Walker. "Everything changes. And then what we may have is holes in the ceiling in 35 different rooms."
Baughman said the ceiling-mounted units are an anticipated technology expense and are worth it, and the board agreed. There were no votes against the plan.
The next project for the district is a connecting walkway between the middle and high schools. That plan is currently in the design stage.
-- Reach Lauren Hoffman at 854-1575 or news@yorkdispatch.com
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