Architects outline cuts to school plans

[NotSoSilentBob]

Architects outline cuts to school plans in Wise

Total cost projected to renovate six Wise County high schools still tops $85 million.


By STEPHEN IGO [email protected]




WISE "? Representatives of four architectural and engineering firms hired to handle renovations to Wise County's six aging high schools presented the county school board with revised project scopes on Monday to pare the initial projected total cost from $109.5 million.
Recommendations reviewed by the Wise County School Board provide a projected price tag that still tops $85 million, or even $88 million if St. Paul's "renovations light"? plan is selected.
Architects recommended cuts that would pare more than $4.85 million from the initial J.J. Kelly High School proposal, from a $29.8 million project to less than $25 million. The school with the next largest sacrifice in dollars is St. Paul High School at $4.8 million in cuts, bringing that project cost estimate down from the initial $7.2 million to less than $2.4 million. Cuts of nearly $4.8 million are proposed for Pound High School, from an initial $16 million project to less than $11.3 million.
In the bottom half of dollars and project scopes slashed, $3.95 million would be cut from the Appalachia High School proposal from an initial cost estimate of less than $18.6 million to more than $14.6 million. Coeburn High School's new project cost would be just under $14.3 million from the initial $17.7 million estimate, a savings of nearly $3.5 million. Powell Valley High School's estimated tab would be reduced by $2.16 million, from the initial $19.85 million to just under $17.7 million.
Total savings is just over $24 million. The new cost estimate of just over $85 million "? or close to $88 million if St. Paul doesn't have to give up so many upgrades "? is above the $77 million target the board established when pursuing ways to cut costs.
New additions, including new classroom spaces and electronic classrooms, went onto the chopping block. Bill Thompson of Thompson & Litton, Inc. "? in charge of the J.J. Kelly, Pound and Coeburn projects "? told the board the primary way to cut back on costs is to cut down on new square footage. The school division also directed the architects to ditch plans for a 10 percent enrollment increase and assume a stagnant or even decreasing student population.
Thompson also said "shared"? classroom spaces for various classes, rather than devoting a space to a certain discipline, would "utilize every available space every moment of the day."?
He said electronic classrooms getting the ax might not be a bad thing as long as every classroom is wired to the latest technology and renovated to accommodate future technological breakthroughs.
The size of a new gym proposed for J.J. Kelly in Wise would be reduced, from an 1,800- to 2,000-seat capacity facility to closer to 1,400. The classroom addition would be shrunk and the initial main entry proposal scrapped for a new set of steps to accommodate wheelchair ramps.
The new Pound proposal would eliminate an expanded front, reduction of a classroom addition, elimination of an addition to the gym, and a much smaller kitchen addition. Also, boys and girls will share physical education locker room and shower facilities.
Coeburn would see a reduction in the proposed administrative wing by about one-third, and cutting a two-story classroom addition down to one story.
Three proposed new classrooms for Powell Valley would be cut. Also eliminated from the original proposal at Powell Valley will be a new stage dressing and storage area, a new science lab, a link to the field house, and a new front building entry.
Jack Ponish with ATS told the board revisions to the Appalachia High School project were "real simple."? A new addition linking the academic building to the gym that would have housed a new main entry, administrative offices and some classrooms as well as an elevator got cut.
The library would be moved into smaller quarters now housing the AHS family and consumer living spaces, the administrative offices would be relocated into the library/media center space, and the family and consumer living space will move into the former administrative offices.
Visitors will still enter a stairwell as a main entrance to AHS.
Because St. Paul was built in the 1970s and not the 1950s as were the other five schools, it didn't need as many upgrades as the others. Cuts scaled back that project to primarily maintenance type items in nature. A classroom addition was reduced, the library won't be expanded, and administrative offices and security features were tossed.
Also, costs for mobile classrooms "? referred to as "learning cottages"? and needed when renovations get under way, are not added into the total cost of the six projects. School Superintendent Greg Killough told the board those costs will depend on the project schedule the board chooses, brushing the touchy subject of phasing in the renovations over a number of years.
What the schools and taxpayers will get for between $85 million and nearly $90 million will be air conditioning, windows, plumbing fixes, electrical and other wiring upgrades including for technology, and primarily other basic mechanical improvements. Interiors will sport dropped ceilings in most cases to accommodate electrical, technological and lighting upgrades.

[imported_VHSLhelper]

Found a story on the new consolidated school being built over in Harlan Co. for Cawood, Evarts & Cumberland (Harlan itself is independent, like Wise), that says they're now paying $157 per square foot, which is quite a bit below the Va. avg. of $184.

Let's split the diff. and say Wise gets quoted $170 psf. That's about 8% below the Va. avg., and reduces my guestimate of $79 Million for 3 new 9-12 schools and $72 Million for 2 new 9-12 schools by about $6 Mil. to 73 and 66.

http://www.harlandaily.com/articles/...s/news9080.txt

Also read an update on the Clarke Co. school building project. The Winchester Star story says "...construction costs are escalating 1 percent per month..." So, $70 mil. now would become $78.5 mil. in a year. Hope they hurry up and decide.

http://www.winchesterstar.com/TheWin...Area_delay.asp

[AppyDawg4Life]

Still trying to act like there is nothing more to cut. Inside sources told me that we had Appalachia cut to 7 million, wonder why its suddenly more!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: VHSLhelper</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Let's split the diff. and say Wise gets quoted $170 psf. That's about 8% below the Va. avg., and reduces my guestimate of $79 Million for 3 new 9-12 schools and $72 Million for 2 new 9-12 schools by about $6 Mil. to 73 and 66.

http://www.harlandaily.com/articles/...s/news9080.txt

Also read an update on the Clarke Co. school building project. The Winchester Star story says "...construction costs are escalating 1 percent per month..." So, $70 mil. now would become $78.5 mil. in a year. Hope they hurry up and decide.

http://www.winchesterstar.com/TheWin...Area_delay.asp
</div></div>If we had started in 98 the construction companies would have had to pay us. Cram them in to two schools. Also did anyone else notice the difference in the bids and estimates for the work going on at PV? The story was in the coalfield. And while we are talking about total funding, has anyone looked at the amount dedicated to increasing the PV Primary and where it will come from? What will that total be , 14-16 million? That was approved before closing high schools was discussed, the folks got the votes to build by promising not to close high schools. There would be available space at the old PV high school and no use to build new classrooms, if we close the county schools and build new ones. PV's high school would already have the classrooms and gym being asked for at no extra cost to the taxpayer. I mean it is 15 million bucks, or so.

[plantsman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Spuds</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: VHSLhelper</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Let's split the diff. and say Wise gets quoted $170 psf. That's about 8% below the Va. avg., and reduces my guestimate of $79 Million for 3 new 9-12 schools and $72 Million for 2 new 9-12 schools by about $6 Mil. to 73 and 66.

http://www.harlandaily.com/articles/...s/news9080.txt

Also read an update on the Clarke Co. school building project. The Winchester Star story says "...construction costs are escalating 1 percent per month..." So, $70 mil. now would become $78.5 mil. in a year. Hope they hurry up and decide.

http://www.winchesterstar.com/TheWin...Area_delay.asp
</div></div>If we had started in 98 the construction companies would have had to pay us. Cram them in to two schools. Also did anyone else notice the difference in the bids and estimates for the work going on at PV? The story was in the coalfield. And while we are talking about total funding, has anyone looked at the amount dedicated to increasing the PV Primary and where it will come from? What will that total be , 14-16 million? That was approved before closing high schools was discussed, the folks got the votes to build by promising not to close high schools. There would be available space at the old PV high school and no use to build new classrooms, if we close the county schools and build new ones. PV's high school would already have the classrooms and gym being asked for at no extra cost to the taxpayer. I mean it is 15 million bucks, or so. </div></div>

And your point?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: boney</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Spuds</div><div class="ubbcode-body">[quote=VHSLhelper]
Let's split the diff. and say Wise gets quoted $170 psf. That's about 8% below the Va. avg., and reduces my guestimate of $79 Million for 3 new 9-12 schools and $72 Million for 2 new 9-12 schools by about $6 Mil. to 73 and 66.

http://www.harlandaily.com/articles/...s/news9080.txt

Also read an update on the Clarke Co. school building project. The Winchester Star story says "...construction costs are escalating 1 percent per month..." So, $70 mil. now would become $78.5 mil. in a year. Hope they hurry up and decide.

</div></div>

And your point? </div></div>My points are simple. At PVPS, the new gym projection is 4 million, the classrooms more. Till we see if the county high schools combine into new ones and close, we don't need to commit taxpayer's dollars ,by the millions, to class space we get for free when the high school closes. Also the projection for the gym was 4 million, the thing has bid for 2.98. The May 2 edition of the Post carries the story and figures.
If you use this projection/bid relationship on the 6 high schools' work the price tag falls to 79.5. Then if you cut the 24 million the "renovation cut plan" on the front page tosses out, you are down to 55.5 million. If you don't see the 3/4 bid to projection ratio as an issue, I think you would at least be concerned about spending the extra 14 million and raising taxes this much extra.

[aphrodite4ever]

That is if the schools close.

[imported_TheGMan]

Sounds ridiculous to spend that much money on renovations...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TheGMan</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Sounds ridiculous to spend that much money on renovations... </div></div> That was how they got elected. A lot of folks want all the classes at all the schools and the group in office ran on this platform . Would you throw your 70k job away to keep from raising taxes 100 bucks per year per household?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: aphrodite4evermore</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That is if the schools close. </div></div>

They will [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif[/img]