Carmichaels board gets good construction news
Board members of Carmichaels Area School District were justifiably pleased last week to award contracts for an ambitious renovation of the junior-senior high school.
The reason for this celebratory moment was the cost for the project, scheduled to begin later this month, came in $1.5 million under budget.
Work will begin on the construction of a new cafeteria and kitchen below the underpass between the two buildings. The work is not expected to impact the use of the buildings for classes through the end of the school year.
At the end of the school year, work will begin on the junior high. Next school year, while the junior high is being renovated, mobile classrooms will be used for classes that can’t be accommodated in the high school. After the junior high is finished, work will begin on the high school.
Board President Thomas Ricco thanked the board for its efforts in getting to this point. “It was a difficult process we’ve just completed in a good and civil manner,” he said. Many other districts have tried to accomplish as much, he said, and failed.
Of course, awarding contracts is just the first of many steps, and we recognize, as undoubtedly the board and contractors do, as well, that not one shovel of dirt has been turned nor one nail hammered.
A design contractor said new construction is always easier than renovation, because the latter is more likely to encounter the unexpected.
Moreover, in this project there are going to be disruptions for students as they are moved from one school to another and to mobile classrooms while these renovations continue. Fortunately, however, students are usually quite adaptive, and we would expect them to take this inconvenience in stride.
Architect Kevin Hayes of the Hayes Design Group said the board and administration made timely decisions to allow the project to be ready for bid at a good time. Bid documents prepared by his firm were thorough and complete, and the construction manager worked hard to get prospective bidders on board with the project.
We hope the good feeling generated by these “incredibly good” bids is not tempered by a host of change orders that negate that $1.5 million in “savings.”