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Construction Bid Results

 

On Aug. 27, 2018, Radio Park Elementary School began the 2018-2019 school year with a new K-2 classroom wing and a new front parking lot. Other sections continue to be built, with the project on track for a second phase move-in this December and completion in August 2019.

Construction at Corl Street and Spring Creek elementary schools remains on schedule to be finished in August 2019. The move-in for Corl Street’s first phase is set for January 2019. Spring Creek will replace Houserville and Lemont elementary schools.

The State College Area School District Board of Directors received project updates on Aug. 13, 2018.

On April 23, 2018 the State College Area School District Board of Directors received an update about March and April progress with the Corl Street, Radio Park and Spring Creek elementary school renovation projects. Here are a few highlights:

Corl Street

  • The first concrete slab was placed on Unit C on March 31, 2018. The contractor began installing door frames in preparation for CMU walls on April 2.
  • Work continues on placing CMU masonry walls in Units C and D and placing underground and in-wall mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) rough-ins.
  • The project is on schedule for a January 2019 move-in to Phase 1 and for completion August 2019.

Radio Park

  • Roof joists and metal decking have been installed in Unit A, which will combine a portion of the existing building with a new section.
  • The roof on the existing Unit A section is being replaced before the new Unit A roof is installed.
  • Concrete pads for equipment and door frames have been added to the main mechanical room in the existing Unit A section.
  • CMU masonry walls continue to be built in Unit B.
  • Unit C slab on grades have been placed at the south corner between Unit B and the existing school.
  • The project is on schedule for an August 2018 move-in to Phase 1, a December 2018 move-in to Phase 2 and an August 2019 completion.

Spring Creek (on the Houserville Elementary site)

  • Concrete piers and footers have been placed in the Unit A foundation.
  • Under slab electrical and plumbing rough-ins have been installed classrooms in the Unit B foundation.
  • Electrical conduit and sanitary piping rough-in have been installed in the Unit C foundation. Underground stormwater piping also was installed.
  • In the Unit D foundation, the conduit rough-in and underground sanitary line have been installed.
  • The project is on schedule for an August 2019 completion.

View the April 11, 2018 interior finish presentation for the elementary school projects here. 

On Nov. 8, 2017, the SCASD Board of Directors approved construction bids for renovation projects at Corl Street, Spring Creek and Radio Park elementary schools. The Board had received 20 competitive bids — five for each school and five for all of the schools combined. Low bids were for general contractor (individual bid); food service contractor (combined bid); heating, ventilation and air conditioning, (HVAC, individual bid); plumbing contractor (individual bid); and electrical contractor (combined bid). Combined bids were accepted to provide savings.

Based on the low bids for the five contracts, the project costs, excluding alternates, are:

Corl Street (renovation/addition, three classrooms per grade)

Total construction: $14,390,000

Soft costs: $4,353,153

Total project cost: $18,743,153

SCASD cost (after projected state PlanCon reimbursement): $17,507,146

Spring Creek (new school, three classrooms per grade)

Total construction: $16,126,000

Soft costs: $4,522,668

Total project cost: $20,648,668

SCASD cost (after expected state grant and projected state PlanCon reimbursement): $17,599,726

Radio Park with six-classroom addition alternate (renovation/addition, four classrooms per grade)

Total construction: $19,967,300

Soft costs: $5,443,448

Total project cost: $25,410,748

SCASD cost (after expected state grant and projected state PlanCon reimbursement): $21,910,782

 

Total construction cost for three schools: $50,483,300

Total cost (without alternates): $64,802,569

Total SCASD cost (without alternates but with expected state grants and planned state PlanCon reimbursement): $57,017,654

 

Alternates

To meet projected rising enrollment, the Board approved a six-classroom addition at Radio Park that will provide for four classrooms per grade. Though the raw construction cost bid alternate was $1,373,200, the net increase will be $903,818 once $208,640 in additional soft costs for construction phasing and $260,742 more in PlanCon reimbursement are subtracted.

The Board also approved the following alternates:

  • Solar arrays for each school, at a combined cost of $517,000 ($155,000 for Corl Street, $170,000 for Spring Creek, $192,000 for Radio Park)
  • Unclassified excavation contracts to remove unsuitable soil and rocks for $63,500 and $19,000 at Corl Street, as opposed to having change orders. The added costs will be subtracted from the change order contingency in the project soft costs fund, resulting in higher hard costs, lower soft costs and no overall change in the project total (same for Spring Creek and Radio Park).
  • An alternate paving contract for $26,500 to pave all of Highland Alley next to Corl Street, not just the portion within school grounds. Ferguson Township, which asked for the alternate, has agreed to reimburse the district when the project is completed.
  • The NexGen building automation system (automatic temperature controls) at Corl Street for a deduction of $84,000.
  • Unclassified excavation contracts of $13,000 and $19,000 at Spring Creek.
  • The NexGen building automation system at Spring Creek for a deduction of $89,000.
  • Unclassified excavation contracts of $25,000 and $9,500 at Radio Park.
  • Unclassified excavation contracts of $56,000 and $129,000 at Radio Park for the classroom addition.
  • The NexGen building automation system at Radio Park for a deduction of $60,000.
  • The addition of MVRA concrete slabs, which dry more quickly, at Radio Park for $37,000.

Next steps

Site work will start in December, with projects scheduled to last 18 months. Questions about individual projects should be directed to the schools' respective principals.

 

Prior to the bid deadline of Nov. 2 the project estimates from the Crabtree Rohrbaugh & Associates architectural firm, along with the project scopes, changed from the 90 percent stage figures to the following:

  • $18.055,816 for Corl Street (64,086 sq. ft.)
  • $20,937,716 for a new schoo, named Spring Creek, at the Houserville site (71,342 sq. ft.)
  • $23,725,089 for a Radio Park alternate bid with four classrooms per grade (a 6-classroom addition)

For its estimates, the Crabtree Rohrbaugh & Associates architectural firm combined predicted low construction bids with estimated mid-point soft costs. After state PlanCon reimbursements for all three projects and a state grant of $1.875 million for Houserville and $1.96 million for Radio Park are factored in, the district’s actual costs would be lower.

On Sept. 25, the SCASD Board of Directors approved final plans for the renovation projects at Corl Street, Houserville and Radio Park elementary schools. On Oct. 9, the Board approved naming the new Houserville site school Spring Creek Elementary, in accordance with the wishes of Houserville/Lemont teachers, students and parents.

For the Sept. 25 vote, project estimates from the Crabtree Rohrbaugh & Associates architectural firm, along with the project scopes, did not change from the 90 percent stage. They are:

  • $17,628,718 for Corl Street (64,086 sq. ft.)
  • $20,651,474 for a new school, Spring Creek, at the Houserville site (71,342 sq. ft.)
  • $21,626,592 for a Radio Park base bid with three classrooms per grade (80,173 sq. ft.)
  • $23,025,894 for a Radio Park alternate bid with four classrooms per grade

For its estimates, CRA combined predicted low construction bids with estimated mid-point soft costs. When state PlanCon reimbursements for all three projects and a state grant of $1.875 million for Houserville and $1.96 million for Radio Park are factored in, the district’s actual costs would be:

  • $16,392,711 Corl Street
  • $17,602,532 Spring Creek
  • $18,387,368 Radio Park base bid
  • $19,525,928 Radio Park alternate bid

The bid opening date for these projects is Oct. 31. Afterward, the district administration and the board’s Facilities and Grounds Committee will review the bids on Nov. 1, followed by a special Board meeting on Nov. 8 and bid awards on Nov. 13. Phased construction is expected to start in early 2018 and last about 16 months.

View the August 7 Board of Directors 90% review special meeting here.

Virtual fly-through videos of Houserville, Corl Street, and Radio Park Elementary Schools were presented to the State College Area School District Board of Directors at their August 7, 2017 special 90% review meeting. The videos give you an inside and outside virtual tour of what the buildings are going to look like. See them here.

Read Superintendent Bob O'Donnell's letter to Radio Park Families from August 9 here.

On June 26, 2017 the State College Area School District Board of Directors unanimously accepted the 60 percent designs for Corl Street, Houserville and Radio Park elementary school projects.

The aging elementary schools are being updated, with new construction at Houserville and additions/renovations at Corl Street and Radio Park, to make them comparable to the rest of the district’s elementary schools.

Total project estimates at 60 percent are:

  • Corl Street (additions/renovations, 64,086 sq. feet) — $17,444,987
  • Houserville (new construction, 71,342 sq. feet) — $20.628,506
  • Radio Park (additions/renovations, 80,173 sq. feet) — $21,107,701
  • Radio Park w/alternate bid (four classrooms per grade, 8.865 more square feet of classroom space) — $22.583,035

The Board voted on the 60 percent designs in a regular meeting following a required Act 34 hearing for the projects.

Cited estimates are from the Crabtree Rohrbaugh and Associates architectural firm. Another project team member, Massaro Construction Management Services, provided higher 60 percent estimates, but the companies use different methods. CRA estimates the successful low bid total while MCMS estimates the mid-point of bids received. Typically these days, MCMS sees actual low bids at 10 to 12 percent below its estimates.

The Houserville and Radio Park projects each stand to receive a $1.75 million state grant. All three projects could receive about $1.2 million each (or about $1.5 million in the case of the Radio Park alternate) in reimbursements from the state’s PlanCon program, further lowering the district’s costs.

Project estimates increased from the 30 percent designs approved on Feb. 27 because of revised soft costs. At 30 percent, CRA and MCMS generated initial soft cost estimates. For the 60 percent stage, the district revised the soft cost estimates based on updated information for various fees, expenses related to testing/inspections, phasing accommodations, zoning, engineering, utilities, construction management, contingency funds, interior furniture, playground equipment, and other expenses outside construction.

As with all portions of the project estimates, soft cost estimates and contingencies will be updated at the 90 percent stage. For the rest of the design process, the design team will employ value engineering to identify savings and efficient choices.

The 60 percent documents include a parking agreement with College Township. The Houserville project plans show 86 parking spaces, but the township’s ordinance requires at least 142 spaces, based on the planned building’s square footage. As it did for the State High Project, the district will seek a parking agreement with the township to proceed with the land development. Under the agreement, the district must set aside and maintain undeveloped land on the site to meet the legal requirement if necessary. The township has reviewed the agreement and supports it.

Suggestions received at community forums held in January, February and June have helped influence the development of the school designs. The district administration will begin reaching out to the Houserville/Lemont elementary schools community to explore choosing a new name for the K-5 Houserville school. Lemont Elementary, which has K-2 students, will close when the three projects are finished.

Under the current project timeline, the Board is scheduled to vote on 90 percent designs on Aug. 28. The district anticipates awarding construction bids on Nov. 13, leading to two phases of construction starting in January 2018 and finishing in the summer of 2019.

First page of the PDF file: 60Percent
60Percent