By Marley Seaman
Architects hired to design the project, the H2M Group, initially estimated that work on the parking lot and corridors of the 600 Wing, located on the western side of the building, would cost $125,000.
After many months, the district finally accepted a bid for construction - the lowest coming in at approximately $250,000 - double the amount approved by residents nearly a year and a half ago. Edward Cigna, the assistant superintendent for business and administrative services, blames "the increased cost of materials and labor" for the difference between the original bond-approved $125,000 and the new construction bid of $250,000.
Adding insult to injury, there were safety concerns with H2M's designs; the plans created new traffic problems instead of making the parking lot safer.
"They [had to] remedy the hazard [of the design] so there wouldn't be cars going in and out of the same exit," Cigna says. In addition, "[H2M had to] create a walkway around the parking lot" in order to avoid students and staff from dealing with traffic.
The new sidewalk will allow pedestrians to exit onto Ethel Kloberg Drive, also known as High School Drive, without crossing the paths of cars entering and exiting the parking lot.
The new design also includes a seven-foot-high barrier that will cost about $300,000. Because the costs of the overrun continue to fall under "improvements" to the 600 Wing, and can be borrowed from other funds, the district will not need to raise additional money to pay for them.
According to Cigna, $122,000 will be taken from money saved from projects that cost less than anticipated and remained in the general construction contract fund. The remaining finances will come from the district's general contingency fund, money raised by the district in case a project goes over its cost. The district also collects extra money to account for inflation.
Overall, Cigna says, the district remains under budget for its construction projects. "They have about 60 percent of the contingency money and 100 percent of the inflation money still remaining, and they're still $300,000 below on the contract money," he said.
School board President James Scannell voiced his disappointment at the meeting, saying, "[The bidding] process is a well thought out [one]. Some of this was foreseeable."
New construction at Baldwin Senior High School also includes additional lighting in the school parking lot and an expansion of the stairway that leads out into the lot.
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