Clover Park School Board Approves General Contractor for Hudtloff Project

The Clover Park School Board has approved a trio of resolutions that move forward the construction of a new .

It took just under 15 minutes at Monday night's School Board meeting.

The board awarded Berschauer Phillips Construction Company of Olympia the general-contractor bid to construct the new school, scheduled to open in spring 2013 on Phillips Road Southwest.

Berschauer Phillips' contract is for $29.74 million and was the lowest of six bids that included Korsmo Construction, Bayley Construction and Jody Miller Construction.

The overall cost for the project is expected to be $46 million, which includes funds from the state.

Lynn Wilson, the district’s director of business services, operations and capital projects, said he was pleased with the number of bids submitted for the project. Eleven contractors appeared at the mandatory on-site review in June, and six submitted a full bid.

“It costs a lot to even do a bid,” he said.

Wilson said they have already done due diligence in making sure Berschauer Phillips can handle the project. The company built a new in 2008.

“We are very happy,” he said. “We got very competitive pricing and we’re feeling good going forward.”

Wilson said that while the new Lakes High School is a beautiful school, the replacement Hudtloff will have a lot of “street appeal.”

On Monday, the board also approved four “add-alternates” for the Hudtloff project. They will be added to the base bid of $29.45 million. They are terrazzo flooring; light fixtures; control contractor/BACNET system and stage lighting and controls.

The district opted to remove the option to install field surface similar to Lakes’ at a cost of $300,000. Hudtloff will instead have natural grass fields.

“There are so many capital needs in the district that we couldn’t justify play turf at a middle school,” Wilson said.

The board also certified that the construction and modernization of Hudtloff will be completed for the purpose for which state funding assistance is being provided. Such a resolution was required to complete the D9 paperwork required by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The final resolution approved the sale of $17.5 million in bonds for the project, which Wilson said was more than they had initially expected. CPSD received a second allocation of federal money since fewer schools in the state were passing bonds.

“We looked at the interest rates right now, and it was a very attractive rate,” he said. “It is a good time for us to lock in long-term low cost.”

Superintendent Debbie LeBeau felt similarly.

“We recognize that we did well in the market today,” she said in remarks to the board. “It’s uncertain times, so we are grateful for that.”

Because the rates locked in Monday, district officials estimated the project will save taxpayers $12 to $16 million over the life of the bond issue, something about which board member Paul Wagemann had specifically inquired.

Wilson said CPSD has $49.5 million left in funds from a $92 million school-construction bond proposition approved by voters in February 2010. In addition to the and projects, the district will build a new school for the consolidated Oakwood and elementaries, and a new Harrison Prep Academy. Both will be located on property adjacent to Clover Park Technical College.

Wilson said that with Hudtloff now underway, Harrison Prep is next on the docket.

“Things are hopping,” he noted with satisfaction. “Integrus (Architecture) has designed a pretty school, and we are happy to have Berschauer Phillips as a partner in this.”