Emily Finan/The Beacon
Architect Tony Street addressed the Unicoi County Board of Education last week in connection with requirements for the letting of bids on the proposed new middle school for Unicoi CountySchool Board to begin bidding for new middle school
April 15, 2008
Administrators gathered for a work session of the Unicoi County School Board to discuss the start of the bidding process for a new middle school.
After a joint meeting with County Commission on April 28, bidding is expected to begin in June. With a two year construction timeline, the finish date of the middle school would be in May 2010.
Architect Tony Street presented the information to the School Board members, and was open to all questions and discussion. Street said that the bid is a very complete package, including all the stages of construction.
“The bid mark is looking much better right now,” said Street. “I’ve been talking already to some contractors letting them know this project is coming. I think we’re going to have good interest in this project.”
Setting an end date for the project with the builder was an area of concern, as it could hold potential costs in time or money. A penalty/bonus clause was considered, which would reward builders for finishing early and require payment for finishing late.
This would provide an incentive to finish early and an incentive to not finish late, and may add leverage with contractors. Completing the project in May will allow time to move into the building during the summer months, but may have extra costs with heating or cooling.
Opinions on penalty/bonus clauses vary among contractors, but the most common procedure would be to allow enough time for construction and omit any extra costs. The clause will continue to be an item for discussion and open for future negotiation.
Denise Brown, Director of Schools, also said that the county has applied for federal appropriations for money towards geothermal energy. The area of the middle school has very good conductivity, but will require additional casing for the bore holes.
Unicoi County will be involved in “construction administration” throughout the project to work alongside the contractor.
Teachers, administrators, and government officials have all been involved throughout the planning process, from input on classroom layout and design, to kitchen equipment and technology.
The School Board will be holding a joint workshop with the County Commission on April 28 at 5:00 p.m.
