By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – The school board decided Wednesday, Feb. 10, to award the low base bid of $2,664,380 to Mike Koenig Construction for addition and renovation work at Pioneer Elementary School and the Cormier School and Early Learning Center.
Koenig’s bid was the lowest among eight firms seeking the office build outs and safety upgrades at the two schools with the highest bid coming in at $3.08 million.
“You can see from the bids that are tabulated there that it was a pretty tight (specification) and some pretty good numbers that we got,” said Tom Schmitt, school facilities and maintenance coordinator.
The improvement projects at Pioneer and Cormier were estimated at $3.9 million out of a $10.05 million capital referendum Ashwaubenon School District voters approved last April.
In addition to the base bid and a $2,000 alternate bid to add ionization to provide cleaner indoor air with new office rooftop units for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) for a total of $2,666,380, Schmitt said the project costs also include: $234,000 for Brander Engineering’s fees; $683,532 for work already completed at Cormier; $148,968 for a contingency of 5 percent and a playground allowance of $97,000.
At Cormier, he said the boilers, chillers and HVAC controls have been replaced with those costs included in the $683,532 for work completed.
Schmitt said the total expenses and allowances come to $3,889,880, $10,120 under the referendum budget.
The site plan at Cormier, which the village’s Site Plan Review Committee approved Feb. 2, calls for two building additions, a new student drop-off loop and playground replacement.
An office addition is planned at Cormier near the existing entrance to provide a secure entrance to the building, while an addition at the north end of the school will provide additional rest rooms and entrances for students dropped off by a bus or a parent.
The addition to the office at Pioneer, which the committee also approved, will be located on the southwest corner of the existing building and include a new vestibule entrance.
The site plan calls for modifications to be made to the existing parking lot, including the replacement of interior sidewalks, water main replacement and curb and gutter replacement near the existing bus drop-off.
Air conditioning
The district’s facilities improvement project being funded by the capital referendum also includes adding air conditioning throughout Ashwaubenon High School, Valley View Elementary School and Pioneer for an estimated $4.35 million.
Business Director Keith Lucius said the air conditioning bids came in over budget, so possible reductions to the work at Pioneer and Cormier are being considered save money and stay under the overall referendum amount.
He said three potential deductions under consideration include curb and gutter replacement near the Pioneer bus lane ($20,960), a second exit from the Pioneer office ($3,070) and Pioneer classroom courtyard doors ($4,390).
Lucius said deductions and bids for air conditioning could be presented for the board’s consideration at its next meeting March 17.
Facilities plan
Board members also approved a 10-year facilities improvement plan, which will be used to prepare the 2021-22 budget and for future budget projections.
Following passage of the capital referendum last April, Schmitt said the plan’s annual dollar amounts are being balanced out to between $500,000 and $600,000.
“One thing to remember is you’re not tonight approving any of the money,” he said. “All you’re doing is approving the merits of the projects that are in the plan, and then (Business Director) Keith (Lucius) uses that information when he… works his magic on the budget for the upcoming year.”
The plan Schmitt presented lists proposed improvement projects at each of the school buildings and the district office through the 2030-31 school year.
“The focus of the plan is really on the three big expenses… roofs, parking lots and then boilers,” he said. “We’ve been able to do a really good job of taking care of that. You can see how things are spaced out in the plan.”