Parts of the Pioneer School District 2022 Capital Improvement project will begin later this year, while other phases will wait until 2024 to begin, the Board of Education learned at its May 2 regular meeting.
The $28.64 million project was approved by voters on May 17, 2022.
Director of Buildings, Grounds and Maintenance Nick Titus said the opening phase of the project will be split in two parts, due to delays in the state Education Department approval process and less-than-favorable conditions for securing contractor bids.
Mr. Titus said the project was already proposed as having two phases, with a good portion of the work happening after a cost allowance reset at Delevan Elementary, which pushes it to at least the final week of March 2024. This is due to funding reasons.
“We already had phased the project to go to the state Education Department for approval in two phases. So with the late approval from SED of Phase 1, which we just received a couple weeks ago, and due to the fact that our construction season is coming upon us, a lot of contractors have their workload already booked up for the summer. The project team did not feel it would be a great idea to go out to bid with a good chunk of Phase 1 at this point, because they didn’t feel we’d get favorable bids,” Mr. Titus said.
Mr. Titus said Phase 1 will be split into Phase 1A and 1B. Phase 1A has been advertised and will go out to bid immediately. Bids will be open May 31. Included in the Phase 1A bid will be stadium turf replacement, which is slated to start June 14. It should be complete by the start of fall sports practice in August.
Stadium site work is also part of Phase 1A, including bleacher expansion, repaving areas inside the fencing and fencing replacement. Another part of the plan includes new restroom facilities at the stadium, scheduled to start in late July or early August. A high efficiency condensing gas boiler is also being installed at the high school this summer.
Mr. Titus said Phase 1B is slated to be bid out this fall with work to begin in Spring 2024. This phase is itself being split into a base bid and an alternative bid. In the base bid, the high school auditorium seating and orchestra pit will be renovated, along with the renovation of high school art classrooms, middle school science classrooms and 5th grade student bathrooms, middle school faculty bathrooms, HVAC updates in the Ag Barn and renovation of kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms at Arcade Elementary.
The Phase 1B alternative bid calls for renovation and upgrades to high school C wing bathrooms, hallway wall tile replacement in the A, B and C wings, kitchen freezer replacement, renovation of middle school 6th and 8th grade student bathrooms, addition of a gas boiler at the middle school, new pavement and fencing between the middle and high school, renovation of the Arcade Elementary Library Media Center, and new heating/cooling units for the Arcade 1st floor offices.
Mr. Titus said Phase 2 includes the replacement of the heating/cooling system at Delevan Elementary, which is set to go out to bid in early spring 2024.
Mr. Titus added that work on the 2020 capital improvement project is still finishing up, a delay caused in part by supply chain shortages.