(Lake Park)– The Harris-Lake Park School Board today (Mon.) held public hearings on two upcoming construction projects that were included in a bond issue voters approved in 2023 for a new elementary school. Today’s (Mon.) hearings pertained to plans, specifications and cost estimates for a new bus barn and enhancements to the auditorium. Superintendent Gary Richardson says they had to scale back a few things to bring the projects in line with available funds after estimates came in higher than expected…
“We had to meet fire marshal regulations. The State Fire Marshal indicated we needed more of a fire wall between the bus stalls, which there are three, which added some considerable cost, so we downgraded some concrete to some gravel instead of concrete right in front, and then a couple of the motorized doors that were going to go in for smaller vehicles and for storage will be taken out. The auditorium is pretty much as is, as it was in the design phase. Some lighting came in at an extra cost so we’ll bid out alternates for some stage lighting as well.”
Richardson says the bus barn is estimated at $900,000 while the auditorium improvements were put at $300,000. He says the school board will consider bids for the projects in early March with construction following…
“The work for the auditorium will be once the students have been dismissed for summer, so approximately May 25, and be done by August 1st in the auditorium. The work on the bus barn can begin as far as excavating and leveling in the middle of march, middle to end of March is what we have, and then that will be done by late summer, early fall. We won’t need it obviously until over a year from now, so.”
Meanwhile, construction continues on the new elementary…
“You can kind of see the whole footprint now. All of the steel is up and just trying to get things covered so they can get some heat and work inside here in the next three or four months.”
Richardson says a lack of snowfall has allowed crews to make good progress so far this winter.
