The USD 253 Board of Education has locked in the price for one project included in the next phase of work as part of the building for the future bond initiative.
During the USD 253 Board of Education’s most recent meeting Wednesday, board members voted unanimously to approve the guaranteed maximum price, $6.2 million, for work on Logan Ave. Elementary School. According to Senior Project Coordinator of McCownGordon Construction Eric Woltje, the GMP is $540,000 above original estimates.
Woltje says there are a few factors that contributed to the increase, but the main issue is the rising cost of building materials.
Woltje says it is unclear if the rise in the Logan Ave. cost will have a significant impact on future projects. He says the main priority at this time is working closely with the design team and the district to ensure they can still handle the full scope of work on each project as originally planned.
Work on Logan Ave. is scheduled to begin in November and be completed by October of next year. In addition to Logan, the second phase of the Building for the Future Bond Initiative will also include work at Emporia Middle School and Village Elementary.
Phase one of the Building for the Future initiative is continuing to progress well at this time according to Woltje. As of Wednesday, work on Walnut Elementary is 88 percent complete with staff already beginning to move in for the coming school year.
Interior work at Emporia High School is complete according to Woltje with the construction of the new Jones Early Childhood Center 64 percent complete.
