Curwensville school board OKs project
Thursday, December 17, 2009
By Dianne Byers Staff Writer
CURWENSVILLE - It's official. Curwensville School Board will be undertaking a district-wide renovation project at a price tag of just more than $22 million in construction costs.
At last night's voting work session, the board, with a 9-0 vote, accepted bid proposals for the alterations and additions to the Curwensville Area elementary, junior and senior high schools complex and Penn-Grampian Elementary School and directed the execution of contracts with the firms that had successful bids. The action is contingent on approval from the state Department of Education.
The board also authorized submission of Plan Con Part F to PDE which requests the agency's permission for the work to be done.
Voting to approve the measures were Peggy Barrett, Robert Deluccia, Cheryl Johnston, Mary Ann Rafferty, Glenn Pentz, Jeff Shaffer, Jim Thorp, Ken Veihdeffer and Darlene Wriglesworth, board members.
The firms with the low bid for the Curwensville Area elementary, junior and senior high schools project are J.C. Orr and Son Inc., Altoona, general construction, $8,230,284; Darr Construction Inc., heating and ventilation construction, $6,340,000, and plumbing construction, $2,229,800; Bob Biter Electrical Enterprises Inc., Cresson, electrical construction, $3,774,735; and R.L. Abatement Inc., Hopewell, asbestos abatement, $97,820. The total cost for the work is $20,672,639.
Companies that submitted the proposals at the lowest price for the work at Penn-Grampian are J.C. Orr and Son Inc., general construction, $734,936; Pinnacle Plumbing and Heating Inc., Johnstown, heating and ventilation construction, $172,800; K&K Plumbing Co. Inc., Johnstown, plumbing construction, $181,940; Bob Biter Electrical Enterprises Inc., electrical construction, $342,050; and R.L. Abatement, Inc., asbestos abatement, $22,740. The total cost for the renovations is $1,463,466.
The board opted to upgrade the roof warranty at the Curwensville complex from 20 years to 30 years at a cost of $145,000. Joe Bazala of Robert T. Scheeren A.I.A. of Indiana, project architect, said he believed the extra cost was money well spent as the amount broke down to a cost of just more than $1 per square foot of roof compared to the $10-$11 per square foot price to replace a roof.
The board also accepted the firm's recommendation to perform site work to create a practice field/play area at the site where the wells for the geothermal system will be drilled. The cost would be $207,000, but it would be the only opportunity the school district would have to make use of the property as once the wells are in place the land cannot be disturbed, the architect said.
The board accepted the architect's and engineer's recommendation and will add a new security camera system at Curwensville. John Boderocco of H.F. Lenz and Co., project engineer, noted the district currently has two systems that are not compatible or expandable.
The bid amounts at Penn Grampian were just slightly less than the amounts estimated by Robert T. Scheeren A.I.A. and the base bid slightly higher at the Curwensville complex.
The company was hired in January 2008 to perform a feasibility study of the condition of both buildings.
In spring 2008, the board reviewed the results of the analysis, which found the structures' physical conditions to be lacking in meeting the Americans with Disabilities Act and the International Building Code and both were not energy efficient.
Prior to last night's vote, several board members said the work is recommended and needs to be done. "These people are professionals who know what they are doing, and Wilbur (Neeper, district superintendent of buildings and grounds,) who truly knows the school is in favor," said Veihdeffer.
Neeper said earlier in the meeting when questioned by the board that he was "comfortable" with the renovations in the project because the upgrades were addressing "everything that would need to be done within 20 years."
Norman Hatten, superintendent of schools, said in an interview following the meeting that he was pleased with the prices contained in the work offers. "The project is all infrastructure designed to address the needs of the buildings, repair failing systems, and increase the security and comfort of the students. It was a conservative project to begin with and when the prices came in at the architect's predicted levels we were satisfied with the proposals."
In other business, the board canceled Monday's business meeting.
At the start of last night's meeting, Barrett and Pentz, who were appointed at the board's reorganizational meeting Dec. 7, where given the oath of office by Veihdeffer.
The board will meet next for a work session Jan. 14 and a monthly business meeting Jan. 18. Both meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. and are held in the boardroom in the district's administrative offices.
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