December Start Date Possible For Athletic Complex

Work on the stalled Glenwood Athletic Complex project could begin as early as Dec. 1 if all goes as planned with revised architectural specifications and plans, according to Glenwood Community School District Superintendent Devin Embray.

The $4.9 million overhaul to the complex was expected to begin with demolition Oct. 12, but work was suspended the day prior when the district had no bids on the project. The demolition part of the contract was awarded to Mark Hughes Construction and was expected to wrap up this week. The construction phase of the new complex was to begin Oct. 24 and wrap up Aug. 1, 2019.

All of those plans were placed on hold as the district and its architects, HSR, Inc., sort out the issues that failed to secure a willing construction partner for the long gestating project.

The district held a meeting last Tuesday with “key personnel” and representatives from HSR. Among the topics of discussion were why the project received no bids and what the plan is moving forward. While Embray said there was no single reason to come out of that meeting as to why the process garnered no bids, he said discussions went well and both sides “talked through the issues” within the complex from specs, to scope, to timeline, to building material costs.

“It’s kind of a ‘perfect storm,’” Embray said. “The timeline was aggressive, contractors are busy, the material costs have gone up. The specs in some areas were too tight and in other areas, too loose.”

HSR is expected to return to the district its revised site plan and budget for the project today. Embray said if that “double- and triple-checked” plan meets district approval, the new construction and specifications contract will be advertised Nov. 5 with bids due back Nov. 26. With an accepted bid, construction could then begin Dec. 1.

Embray said HSR did offer pushback to the idea their specs or budget numbers were off, but did accept “some responsibility” for the bidding process issues.

“I think they feel very badly about the fact it came in the way it did, however they do feel like their numbers aren’t far off,” he said. “They want to work with us to make sure this project is successful.”

Embray said it’s likely there will be alterations to the project as originally bid, but he doesn’t  anticipate those changes will be substantial and that a “beautiful complex” remains the goal.

“When we’re done, people will look at the whole picture of the complex we sold them and they will be very happy with how it looks,” Embray said. “We’re not going away from the scope of the project we sold the community on. We’re going to stay true to that.”

Just when that picture might come into focus remains blurry.

A Dec. 1 start date would put the project six weeks behind schedule before any work has begun. The project, originally expected to be completed next August, is now scheduled for “substantial completion” in September 2019.

As a result of the delay, Embray said, the demolition bid has been revised to now include some additional dirt work on the building site originally intended to be part of the construction bid. Hughes Construction has already agreed in principal to the “bulletin” on its original contract with the district for the work.

“This will make that (building) site ready to go for the contractors so they aren’t hauling in dirt on Dec. 1 and they can come in and cut footings on Dec. 1 for that building,” he said. “Timeline-wise we’re losing on the official timeline but we’re gaining back two to three weeks.”

Hughes Construction will begin demolition work Thursday if what the district hears from HSR “sounds reasonable.”

The district’s voter-approved 10-year, Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) will cover nearly $3.7 million of the $4.9 million price tag of the project. The remaining funds will come out of the district’s Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) monies it receives through the one-cent sales tax levy.

The Youth Action Committee (YAC), who began a capital fundraising campaign earlier this summer, announced last week they have now raised more than $330,000 of their $500,000 goal to pay for field turf on the football field at the complex.