News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Clay County School Board approved bids Thursday night for two plumbing renovation projects at Celina K-8 and Hermitage Spring School.
Board members heard a presentation of bids from Architect Allen Hill. The bids for both projects plus their alternates totaled some $1.8 million to be paid from ESSER 2.0 funds.
“It may be possible for the contractors to pre-purchase and order materials and be paid for materials to order and store before they actually get a chance to install those materials,” Hill said. “And use that ESSER 2.0 money before that June 2023 deadline.”
Hill said they plan to talk to contractors about how much money they could use to buy material ahead of time to avoid wasting ESSER funds. The renovations will update the bathrooms at the schools and make them ADA-compliant.
The bids also came with a 20 percent contingency plan should unexpected costs arise. Hill said that because the work will be on old buildings, crews don’t necessarily have a guarantee of the conditions of the work.
“For example, we may be digging in the area of the K-8 where we have to put some new walls,” Hill said. “Because plumbing leaks over time, instead of finding firm ground we may find mud. So we’d have to cut out some of that and fix the ground underneath where pipes have leaked over the years.”
Hill stressed the importance of taking action on the bids Thursday night, as bid prices are only guaranteed for 14 days in the current construction climate. Vice Chair Nathan Sherrell:
“Even looking at it, accepting options one and two, it’s not going to get any cheaper,” Sherrell said. “(…) At both buildings, it’s been needing this done for quite some time. We’ll not have this kind of money anywhere else so we better get on with it and fix it.”
After the current electrical and plumbing projects are completed the school system estimates having some $365,000 left over in ESSER funding. Finance Director Ashley White said the remaining funding could be put towards two big needs: a new library at Celina K-8 or a new kitchen area. Discussions will be had at the next board meeting.
In other business, District 4 School Board Member Benji Bailey was re-elected to serve as the chair. He was the only nominee, and received unanimous approval. Bailey’s District 4 counterpart Vonda Weir will no longer serve as vice chair. District 5’s Nathan Sherrell was unanimously voted in as the new vice-chair. The two will serve for one year, until the annual election in September.
