Bids OK'd for Southmoreland's Scotland Yard project, building

While the bids came in higher than they hoped, Southmoreland School Board members approved bids to construct a parking area and stadium entrance dubbed Scotland Yard, where the former junior high sat, and to construct a new maintenance building in the same general area.

Directors had been talking about these two projects for several months, tweaking the maintenance building design and specifications.

On Thursday night, Mark Scheller, project architect for Eckles Architecture and Engineering, discussed the bids and informed the board the project had been bid three ways: Scotland Yard, maintenance building only, and then both combined.

Directors approved the lowest electrical bid to ABEC Electrical Contracting at $92,400, and $815,000 to Arcon Contracting as the low general construction bidder, for a total of $907,400 for the Scotland Yard Project.

Director Darl Lochinger was not in attendance. Director Catherine Fike voted no.

There were still some matters of concern when it came to the maintenance building project, with the low bid coming in at $807,000.

"I just have a hard time accepting the cost of the building," Director Paul Bayura. "Can't we do a pole shed with an office trailer outside• I just want to make sure we're not getting more of a building than what we need. I think we need to go back and re-look at this."

Scheller said this was actually the simplest building design that Eckles could put together and still meet the criteria given and meet all codes.

Fike added that the directors were in a very difficult situation with this.

"This is something that's needed, but I'm shocked with these numbers," she said. "I don't think I was ever led to believe that it would come out this way."

Director Levi Miller said the board spent several meetings discussing the specifications and design for the maintenance building.

"We're never going to agree," he said. "In some ways it is a shock, but on another level, we have a healthy fund balance and it's a one-time investment. I think we should move on."

Acting Superintendent John Molnar said Business Manager Bill Porter recommended the board go ahead with the project.

While Bayura and Fike voted against it, a motion was passed to approve the lowest electrical bid for the maintenance building to ABEC for $63,900, HVAC to Erickson Mechanical for $127,000, plumbing construction to K&K Plumbing for $126,200, and general construction to Plavchak Construction for $489,900 for a total of $807,000.

Directors also agreed to advertise for bids for a pipe repair project at the football field as soon as the district receives permits from the state and specifications from their engineer.

Directors also passed a motion to move their June 16 meeting to June 23.