At a special meeting Thursday, the Warsaw School Board awarded the contracts for the Jefferson and Claypool elementary schools projects.
The Jefferson Elementary improvement and expansion project was awarded to James S. Jackson Co. LLC, Bluffton, for $8,182,500, including alternates. The Claypool Elementary project, with alternates, was awarded to Michael Kinder and Sons Inc., Fort Wayne, for $8,198,500.On March 19, the Warsaw School Board awarded the new Madison and Leesburg elementary schools projects to Fetters Construction Inc., Auburn, for $24,506,800, including alternates.
Total cost for all four projects is about $41 million. Kovert Hawkins, the architectural firm for the projects, estimated last year the total project cost would be nearly $60 million.
School Board President Deb Wiggins said the bid winners were the lowest responsible and responsive bidders for the projects.
In the original bid packages were several alternates, including alternate No. 7 for roofing work, according to school board member Ron Yeiter. The facilities committee was very interested in that alternate. A couple of bidders on the projects did not provide a bid for that alternate so their bids were considered not responsive. The facilities committee was consistent with both projects on alternate No. 7, Yeiter said.
Wiggins said the board is faced with having to follow the law on the bidding process. The law doesn't allow the board to consider everything the board would like to consider, she said, and the law binds the school board in their decision.
On page 5A of the March 25 edition of the Times-Union, Warsaw's Kevin L. Harris Sr. wrote a letter titled "School Projects." In part, he wrote, "There should be other concerns beside the lowest bid. One concern should be who gets the money. Some bids for the Madison and Leesburg schools involved local area contractors. Should this be a concern? If an area contractor revised all or part of the school contracts, wouldn't some of the contract money stay in the Warsaw community?"
School Board Vice President Dan Robinson said that letter expresses widespread sentiment in the community. However, one thing the school board doesn't get to consider when awarding the bids is the people and community who have to pay the bonds for the project.
"Thank you, state legislature," Robinson said.
Yeiter said the facilities committee looked at everything involved in the bids and did deep searching while staying within the parameters of the law.
With the Claypool and Jefferson bid winners, said Wiggins, the school board expects them to meet the same expectations as the board put on Fetters Construction for the Madison and Leesburg projects.
Those expectations include that the project work will be done on time; subcontractors will be paid in a timely fashion; there will be a collaborative and conciliatory relationship between the contractor, subcontractor and school administration; all will work with the architect firm of Kovert Hawkins harmoniously; the performance of the work will reflect the budget as presented in the bid accepted; and the contractor will "build the best quality schools possible for our children."
Kent Adams, board member, said there has been enough public exposure to the bid process that the bid winners should know what's expected of them and that they'll do the best they can.
Wiggins said the board will be putting out notices and signing contracts soon.
