ThisWeek CW 01/22/2015
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/01/19/groveport-madison-school-board-approves-two-construction-contracts.html
Groveport Madison school officials approved two more construction contracts at the first school board meeting of the year Jan. 14, keeping the district on target for building a new high school.
Superintendent Bruce Hoover presented contracts for commissioning authority services from STAN and Associates, a Dayton-based engineering firm, and for construction manager at-risk services from Smoot Construction, a Columbus-based construction company.
According to the contract documents approved unanimously by the board, the co-funded project between the district and the Ohio School Facilities Commission will pay STAN and Associates a negotiated rate of 62 cents per square foot for a total of $153,684, and the district itself will pay an additional $11,160 for the locally funded portion of the project.
The commissioning authority is responsible for evaluating mechanical and electrical systems, particularly as related to how those systems meet LEED building standards for efficiency.
The board also unanimously approved a preconstruction services contract agreement with Smoot Construction for a negotiated price of $100,017. This contract will allow Smoot Construction to participate in project phases leading up to completion of final construction documents used as the basis for the physical construction of the building.
“We met with Smoot Construction and went through a preconstruction schedule with them,” Hoover said. “Ideally, if everything runs as proposed, we may be breaking ground and finishing up the site design and construction design phase in March of 2016.
“I think we’re on target and on schedule at this point, and we’re excited because we’re seeing the development of this project, at least in terms of the type of spaces people want to see included in the new high school. It’s exciting.”
Hoover said that over winter break, VSWC Architects worked to obtain core samples from the school grounds to help determine what, if any, additional geologic site preparation would be necessary.
“The site survey is to put together enough information for creating a schematic, but right now, we’re still working on the type, size and number of classrooms and how to put all those spaces together,” Hoover said.
“The Facility Committee will use this information to determine if the new building is constructed along the left side of the property or if it wraps around the building where the modulars currently are.”
A traffic study is also being done of Hamilton Road at the entrances to the high school property to determine if additional turn lanes or other traffic devices will be necessary, either during construction or after the project is completed, or both, he said.