School construction cut back to get under budget
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Steamboat Springs — The Steamboat Springs School Board agreed to cost-cutting measures Monday to reduce more than $300,000 in excess construction costs for projects at Soda Creek and Strawberry Park elementary schools.
Project Manager Todd Ficken presented an updated list of "value engineering items" that could be cut or scaled back without affecting the school district's educational mission.
"When you look at some of the items on the list, like replacing the stainless steel hand railings at Soda Creek with painted steel, I think it's not affecting the vision of the school district, but it does save almost $32,000," he said.
Other cost-saving modifications include replacing stainless steel countertops with laminate to save nearly $19,000, and installing cheaper light fixtures to save almost $13,000.
Ficken presented a total of 31 items that the project team, which includes School Board President Denise Connelly and board member Jerry Kozatch, agreed could be modified at the two elementary schools. Ficken requested the School Board's direction on two additional, controversial items.
Removing small entrance canopies on three sides of the building would save about $37,000, he said, while changing the metal wall paneling and rafters from aluminum to a flat seam metal panel system would save about $94,000.
In a letter to the School Board, principal architect Leland Reece advised the board to delete the canopies, but not change the metal wall paneling.
"The result would look industrial in character and would not be compatible with the overall character of the building," Reece said. Christiansen, Reece and Partners "would support substituting the specified product with an alternative metal or stucco, which we anticipate would reduce the cost of the (paneling) material."
The School Board agreed to delete the canopies and continue to look into alternative metal paneling options.
Connelly and board member John DeVincentis said they were in favor of replacing the canopies with an underground snowmelt system.
"I don't care if the two are a wash," DeVincentis said. "If we can make up the savings somewhere else, then I think a snowmelt system is the way to proceed."
Ficken said installing a snowmelt system would soak up nearly all of the $37,000 that would have been saved by removing the canopies.
Underground pipes, which pump hot water to melt snow above ground, will be laid but hooked up to a boiler at a later date.
Ficken assured the School Board that by deciding on what items to cut Monday, the board would not have to make future decisions in haste.
"What I'm looking for from the board today is for you to say, 'Yes, go ahead,'" he said. "A lot of these items don't have to be decided today. : As we go forward in time, we will find other things. There will be things that will cost us money, but things will pop up to save us money."
- To reach Mike McCollum, call 871-4208
or e-mail mmccollum@steamboatpilot.com
Comments
sickofitall 5 years, 8 months ago
We need to get rid of these clowns.
Robert Huron 5 years, 8 months ago
I find it very interesting that the school board has to cut $300000 from the construction budget . If I remember correctly this same school board spent almost $300000 to buy out the contract of the district's superintendent because they could not get along with her. R.C. Huron Steamboat Springs, Co.
stompk 5 years, 8 months ago
It appears to me that some critical items are being eliminated, like snowmelt, and canopies above entrance ways. This is snow country.
300,000 dollars on a class act school is money well spent. Look at the Junior High. Corners were cut, and now the roof leaks everytime it rains.
Let's spend the money where money should be spent, and borrow from unnessesary projects.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 8 months ago
Stomp- According to the story, the canopies were requested to be deleted by the school Principal in favor of a snowmelt system; not eliminating both.
From your post, it looked like you were saying both were to be eliminated.
Harrington says "Hi!"
elphaba 5 years, 8 months ago
This School Board is floundering - $300,000 spent for a bad cause (buying out Donna Howell) is then cut from Soda Creek -good cause. Not an even trade at all
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 8 months ago
Oops! By the principal ARCHITECHT. My bad.
Vince arroyo 5 years, 8 months ago
I recall That a few years ago the school District had a 29 million dollar reserve ????
WZ4EVER 5 years, 8 months ago
It was "value engineering" that created the parking garage at the Grand that is too low to allow an SUV with a ski rack to enter......
addlip2U 5 years, 8 months ago
"Project Manager Todd Ficken presented an updated list of "value engineering items" that could be cut or scaled back without affecting the school district's educational mission."
Wait, in a properly run project the value engineering is provided throughout the design and bid phase, NOT after the project is awarded to a contractor. If this process was followed, this project would not go forward until the cost and scope was matched to the budget.
Why are we suddenly over the budget? Was this project bid? If so, we would know prior to starting construction that there had to be items eliminated, revisited.
What type of a contract is this project being built under: cost plus, guarantee max or what?
Someone certainly does NOT know how to run a project if after it started need to cut out scope and cost.
Hammurabi 5 years, 8 months ago
We build a school that is, in theory, supposed to last 20 50 years. Why would we ever consider changing anything? The voters of our district enthusiastically endorsed this project. I think that our community deserves a facility that will last. It seems unfathomable that we would be quibbling over important improvements that in the grand scheme of things are minor compared to the overall cost of the building. It's time for the BOE to dip into our (yes, these are our tax dollars) reserves to cover the shortages. What is the "value" of a school that is not built as designed and approved?
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