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Warsaw Schools' building project is on track to be completed in 2006, with some adjustments, Warsaw school board was told Monday.
The report from Construction Control Inc. said snow and rain over the past two weeks hindered the restart of site work. The target dates for next year are still on schedule.
Patron Angela Fulton said she understood that the cost of the entire project was not to exceed $30 million, "Rumor has it we are $3-some million above the $30 million. Where is it going and will it affect the kids?"
Superintendent Dr. Dave McGuire said change orders accounted for the $3.8 million addition to the cost of the project. He also said: "The assertion that the project was not to exceed $30 million is not correct. We said we would have a $30 million bond and the CPF (capital projects fund)."
However, in a school board meeting of July 22, 2003, when the pre-bid conference was scheduled for the project, then-finance manager Rande Thorpe emphasized that the total cost of the project would be no more than $30 million.
At the same meeting, construction manager Jerry Gibson said the estimated total cost of the construction project would be $23,759,824. "It will not go over what you told your public at the 1028 hearing, and that was $30 million," he said to the board July 22.
Most of the differences in cost - currently approximately $3.8 million more than originally planned - are in change orders for Warsaw Community High School. Only $18,000 of the additional costs were attributed to the administration building. Architect fees are more than $143,000 over the original budget.
WCS controller Kevin Smith said he is expecting more CPF money in 2005, and, "I feel like we are in pretty good shape." But he did not know how much more money would be in the CPF this year and said he could not anticipate the amount of change orders in the future.
