With a construction bid selected, Springfield Public Schools will kick off building a new Reed Academy with a groundbreaking ceremony.
Set for 5 p.m. on March 27, the ceremony will start the construction phase of one of three major projects outlined in a $220 million bond proposal voters enacted in 2023.
The new Reed Academy will be about 128,900 square feet of building space, with about 61,200 square feet of classrooms and about 31,795 square feet for choir, band, orchestra, dance and art programs.
Builder selected, bid under budget
During its Feb. 27 meeting, the Springfield Board of Education selected a construction bid of $39,798,890 from DeWitt Construction. The bid came in below an estimate of $46,764,502 used during the campaign process for Proposition S.
“It’s going to allow us to have a healthy contingency budget that we put in place,” said Travis Shaw, deputy superintendent of operations for SPS during the meeting. “We do know we will have change orders as we go through a two-year construction project.”
The entire project has a budget of $59,484,000. Demolition of the old building on North Lyon Avenue has been completed at a cost of $975,000, and $713,000 has been spent to buy property and abatements.
School board member Kelly Byrne noted that it is too early to announce a large cost savings, because construction is just getting started, but that a firm bid below estimate is a great start.
“I think this is indicative of us focusing on getting the process right, all the way back to the task force on facilities and those recommendations,” Byrne said. “I think that this is evidence that the process is working well, your team is very much in control and doing a fantastic job.”
Byrne and other board members noted the use of Navigate Building Solutions, a construction consultant firm assisting with the bond proposal’s projects. Shaw said the firm helped review designs from Sapp Design Architects to increase efficiency, and the work done by both firms helped the district attract excellent bids.
“Good, tight bids between two contractors speaks volumes for the type of drawings and documents that were put out,” Shaw said. “And good, solid bids that are under budget speaks volumes to the fact that there was a very efficient, well-designed building.”
Other Proposition S projects
Shaw also gave an update about other projects in the 2023 bond issue:
Construction continues on storm shelter/gymnasiums at Mann, Pittman, Watkins and Wilder elementary schools, with projected completion dates of later this year. Construction bids for Cowden and Holland elementary schools were accepted earlier this year.
Exterior door sensors and access controls for schools are in the design phase and will soon go out for bid, Shaw said. Classroom expansions for Wilder and Field elementary schools, in connection with an upcoming renovation of Pershing Middle School, will also soon go to bid.
The only lingering question mark is a location for the new Pipkin Middle School. Shaw told the board that a location would be finalized “hopefully very soon.”
