Harlan County High School Cost

[swvacsas]

Cost of Harlan school doubles
Materials blamed for $27 million jump
By Stephenie Steitzer
[email protected]
The Courier-Journal


FRANKFORT, Ky. -- State Board of Education members yesterday expressed shock and concern that the price tag of a high school under construction in Harlan County has more than doubled since the original cost estimate.

The 220,000-square-foot high school, which is expected to open at the beginning of the next school year, is now expected to cost $50 million, up from the original $23 million estimate.

"Where I work you can't run a business this way and stay in business, much less employed," said board member Joe Brothers at a board subcommittee meeting yesterday. "The surprise and shock factor of this is really frustrating."

The Harlan County school board estimates it needs about $8 million to $9 million to complete the project, but state school board officials warned not to come looking for a handout.

Harlan County officials said they would open the school next August, even if it means not finishing work on the athletic fields.

Local officials blame the cost overrun on increased costs of construction material.

"Katrina, the war, China," said Gary Hensley, assistant financial officer of the school district.

A report issued by state Auditor Crit Luallen's office outlined multiple factors, including increased construction costs.

It also blamed artificially low estimates as the project began and a 26 percent increase in the size of the building after it was initially approved.

The report raised many questions, including:

Are overruns occurring in other school projects currently under construction?

Would the state legislature have approved $13.6 million in state funding if it had known the project was going to cost $50 million instead of $23 million?

Could Harlan County actually afford a project of that magnitude given its declining enrollment?

Chairman Keith Travis said the board doesn't know if any of the projects currently under construction across Kentucky -- at a total cost of about $700 million -- are within their original budgets. He said he wouldn't have known about Harlan County's problem had a concerned citizen not brought it to his attention.

Travis also expressed concern over whether the district, which plans to consolidate three high schools to become more efficient in light of declining enrollment, needed to build a new school instead of consolidating into one of the existing schools.

The district has gone from 4,517 students in 2000-01 to 3,955 in 2006-07, according to the auditor's report.

"Could two of them been consolidated?" Travis said. "Could one of them been closed and pushed into the two?"

Harlan Superintendent Tim Saylor said the district "could've done that."

"We had a choice of doing one or the other," he said. "We felt like doing a new high school. It's been over 40 years since we've had a school (built)."

[imported_six4three]

same argument could be used for renovation costs, and you'd still have a 50 year old building, so what's your point?

[swvacsas]

Harlan never properly looked at renovation costs- neither has Wise County. Renovation projections in Wise County have been deliberately inflated- construction costs for three complete high schools understated.

[beamer_ball]

Here's the Auditor report:
http://www.auditor.ky.gov/Public/Aud...lKDEaup-PR.htm

[imported_PioneerBlue]

Seemed to work pretty good in Claiborne County, since they built 2 new high schools and closed down the 2 old ones. Much easier to make the schools modern while you're building them, than try to modernize old buildings.

[imported_VHSLhelper]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: swvacsas</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Harlan never properly looked at renovation costs- neither has Wise County. Renovation projections in Wise County have been deliberately inflated- construction costs for three complete high schools understated.</div></div>

Really?? I posted numbers other school districts have released and used them to est. Wise's numbers. They weren't that far off from the story I saw a while back.

Ky counties keep the coal severance tax. Wonder how Wise County's is wasted? Oh wait, that guy from D3 said he was in something, when he made his "close'em " speech in the paper ,something like "our property is worth more and we should get more tax dollars"? He works for the group that blew the last big chance at landing some jobs for the county.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: VHSLhelper</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: swvacsas</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Harlan never properly looked at renovation costs- neither has Wise County. Renovation projections in Wise County have been deliberately inflated- construction costs for three complete high schools understated.</div></div>

Really?? I posted numbers other school districts have released and used them to est. Wise's numbers. They weren't that far off from the story I saw a while back. </div></div>
Which is exactly what Harlan is saying, things have gone up so fast that we can't estimate fast enough. And they aren't done. See how many county projects have hit budget in the last 10 years. I have no idea and would be interested.

[swvacsas]

I have previously stated that the cost of the buildings would be $30 million or somewhat more. The problem is everything else. You are looking at another $10 million for athletic facilities and some additional structural features. The board had asked for figures on complete facilities. This was not done in the presentation of the draft document. Could these figures have been easily included? Yes. I feel they were intentionally omitted in order to minimize the cost. The costs for site preparation are way too low. Those costs will depend on where the schools are located- but given the lunatic site proposals for these schools from many pro-consolidation proponents I can safely say we would be looking at figures of $5 million plus for site preparation. Renovation could be done for about half the stated cost- if done in a sensible manner. It will cost at least $150 million for three high schools if they were to attempt them by the time all is said and done. The majority of the public in Wise County does not support a one or two high school solution. Sensible renovation is the only way.

One county school with all the classes that can be given in high school. Nice central location so nobody has to drive to the dual enrollment. In a couple of years the enrollment will drop enough to get 1500 kids in 1a.