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Bids for the Lylburn Downing Middle School renovation project were much higher than expected. Superintendent Dan Lyons said he is applying for federal stimulus money to make up the difference. (ERIN GALLIHER/The Rockbridge Report) |
Lexington schools Superintendent Dan Lyons thought the last hurdle had been cleared in the Lylburn Downing Middle School renovation process. Then the contractors’ bids came in, much higher than expected.
“We needed to do some big negotiating to bring [the project] within budget,” said Lyons.
Eleven contractors bid on the Lylburn Downing Middle School and Community Center renovation project on Feb. 5. Nielsen Builders of Harrisonburg placed the lowest bid, about $9.8 million. That is about $2 million more than the $7.5 million literary loan the school district received from the state to finance the project.
The school board and OWPR, the architectural firm in charge of the project, are negotiating with Nielsen to improve the specifics of the project while reducing cost. Federal stimulus money has also been mentioned as part of a solution to the funding problem.
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| The community center adjoining Lylburn Downing is included in the planned renovation. (ERIN GALLIHER/The Rockbridge Report) |
It is still unclear whether the financial complications will affect the anticipated construction start in late May.
Lyons said some pieces of the project carried bigger price tags than anticipated. The original renovation plans, which include a major addition to the school building and new parking and recreation areas, also incorporated more environmentally friendly elements under a recognition program known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED.
But because they are more expensive than other parts of the plan, bringing the renovations within budget might mean sacrificing some of the LEED elements.
Lyons said the school board and architects are trying to maintain some of those greener aspects, such as geothermal heating and cooling. But other elements, such as energy-efficient instant water heaters for the bathrooms, might not be economical enough to survive the revisions.
Lyons said planners are weighing costs against the benefits.
“We just hope to stay as green as we can,” he said.
Produced by
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Prof. Brian
Richardson
Prof. Indira Somani
Editing supervisor:
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Technical supervisor: Michael Todd