BY KARISSA MILLER
The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education on Monday accepted general contractor Monteith Construction Corp.’s $143.1 million bid for construction of Weathers Creek High School.
In a lengthy motion, the board first approved accepting the low bidder Monteith Construction for the base bid of $141,437,000 with the addition of 15 owner preferred alternates, bringing the total cost to $143,152,200.
Owner preferred alternates consist of items like ceiling fans, water fountains, synthetic turf and fill, ice machines, and convection ovens. The board declined to accept a $188,000 bid for a guard shack.
The second part of the motion added a caveat that the project will be split into two phases due to funding challenges.
David Morais, president of Adams + Associates Architecture, said that he estimates the construction timeline to be about 30 months.
“We are trying to work with the contractor and get this as cost effective as possible. We are looking for efficiencies wherever available,” Morais said in an interview.
Funding
The Iredell County Board of Commissioners has committed to financing $120 million for the new high school. The school will be funded through an $80 million school bond sale approved by voters in 2020, and $40 million in general obligation bonds.
Commissioners told Iredell Free News last week that they are hesitant to spend more than $120 million for the project. (Related Article.)
Montieth said it is willing to work with the school district to accommodate the school’s funding schedule with break-out pricing and completing the project in phases.
“If we want to move forward and keep this project on track, I recommend that we phase this project,” school board attorney Dean Shatley told board members. “That is what we are asking the county to agree to as well.”
The project will be split into Phase A and Phase B.
Phase A will consist of the primary school building, as well as grading the site and underground utilities. The cost will be roughly $120 million. The school, located at 246 Overcash Road in Troutman, will be designed for a capacity of 1,600 students.
Phase B would include out buildings for any athletic facilities, athletic fields and the football stadium.
“This is a long project. This project will not be done in 12 months or 6 months. It’s going to take some time to get this done,” Shatley said. “During that time, we can continue to raise the appropriate funds and work with the county to find additional funding. Also, we can work with our state legislators to see if there’s any additional funding at that level.”
If the board is unable to raise the funds, they can “push pause on the contract or stop the contract — therefore, we would have a clean break,” Shatley said.
School Board ready to move forward
The vote Monday night comes after the project was bid out for a second time because the district wasn’t able to secure sufficient completed bids the first time around, Morais stated.
According to Shatley, the district saved around $6 million or $7 million by rebidding the project.
School board members expressed their support for the phased approach, but also shared some concerns.
“If we continue to grow in this county, there’s going to be children. We want those children to be able to go to school. I think the board has done their due diligence. It’s now up to the people with the money to fund it or not fund it,” said Chairman Bill Howell.
He stressed his hope that when that the school opens students and teachers walk into a facility that is completely finished.
Board member Doug Knight emphasized that the school is going to be built to last for 50 years. He mentioned that he had conducted his own research about schools of the same size and believe that they are on the right track.
Knight also pointed out that athletic programs increase academic outcomes and help the district retain students.
“You have to trust in the county commissioners to do the second phase. I believe they want this to work and they want children to have a good education,” he said.