(Milford)– The Okoboji School Board Wednesday evening was updated on cost estimates and the design process for the new elementary school and renovations at the high school.
The timeline for the elementary project calls for plans to be sent to potential bidders on April 24th with bids to be submitted by 2:00 pm May 22nd for review and possible action by the board. Plans for the 1st phase of the high school renovations would be sent to potential bidders that same day, May 22nd. Board members say they opted to bid the projects separately for the sake of clarity.
Latest estimates presented Wednesday evening show the cost of the elementary project increased by $3.7 million, while Phase I of the high school additions and renovations rose by $2.7 million. In contrast, Phase II of the high school additions and renovations decreased by $8.4 million. Superintendent Todd Abrahamson tells us that after implementing the Value Engineering strategies, the overall budget is $144,000 under the $69 million budget.
Project managers say they hope to mitigate the increasing costs by sending requests for bids “far and wide”.
