School board member Glenn Forsee makes a point during Thursday night's meeting. At left is board member Leonard Singleton. (T-G Photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Bedford County Board of Education, meeting Thursday night, accepted a guaranteed maximum price of $16,489,445 for the new Community High School, plus a separate contract for water and sewer work at the site for $275,000.

That puts the project $700,000 over its estimated cost. The school system can cover the extra out of its operating budget if necessary, and so the school board is legally able to move ahead with the project. But school board members would prefer to finance the $700,000 by adding it to a $4 million capital outlay note which has already been approved by the county commission but which has not yet been borrowed. The school system will ask the county commission for permission to borrow the additional $700,000.

If the school system doesn't get permission to borrow the money and is forced to take it out of operating funds, said School Superintendent Ed Gray, it will be difficult to pay for the furniture and technology equipment needed to complete the school once it has been built. Those aren't a part of the construction contract.

Waiting for the county commission to approve the capital outlay note would have put the project behind schedule, however, and kept it from being ready for the start of the 2009-10 school year. So school board members voted to go ahead and approve the project cost now, hoping the commission will approve the change to the capital outlay note later.

The school will be built south of Unionville-Deason Road, close to the existing Community campus. Once the high school moves into its new facility, the middle and elementary grades will take over that space in the existing building.

Like the Harris Middle School, Central High School and Learning Way Elementary projects, the new Community High School building is being built under the "construction management at risk" system, with Nashville-based American Constructors Inc. as the construction management firm. American Constructors was chosen months ago for the Community project. They then bid the project out to subcontractors, with bids opened April 29, and prepared a guaranteed maximum price -- often nicknamed "G-Max" -- for the board's approval. With certain exceptions, American Constructors will be responsible for any cost overruns.

Gray said that the building had been "value engineered" for the lowest possible cost, but it also is built to have plenty of room in support facilities like the cafeteria and library in case more classrooms need to be added to the building later.

Matt Moore of American Constructors said there was a problem with the paving bid -- American Constructors had put the wrong completion date for the work on the bid requests, and the bidders -- who thought they were bidding on work to be done this fall -- weren't willing to guarantee a price now for the summer of 2009, given the uncertainty in the cost of petroleum products.

Meanwhile, there was good news on the Central High School expansion and renovation project.

"We're almost finished," said Tom Grott of American Constructors. He said that because the project has come in at close to its projected cost, American Constructors is recommending that the project's contingency fund be reduced by $500,000 -- releasing that money back to the school system. There would still be $106,015 remaining in contingency funds to cover any unexpected expenses as the project is completed this summer.

The board approved the change in the contingency fund, as well as two small change orders adding emergency shutoffs to laboratory equipment and some bottom rods and strike plates to doors.

The Learning Way Elementary School project is well underway, and Grott requested some minor changes to the allowances for that project, which were approved.

Currently, Southside, East Side and Eakin elementary schools include the primary grades (kindergarten through third grade), while Thomas School includes the intermediate grades (fourth and fifth). Once Learning Way Elementary is complete, school districts within Shelbyville will be re-drawn and all five elementary schools will handle all of the elementary grades.

Gray said the school board needs a study session in July to work on the new zoning plan.

Other facility needs which the school system plans to address in the next few months include repair of the metal flashing around Cascade High School, and adaptation of the old "mini-gym" for use as a band room; replacement of the air conditioning unit at the vocational school; and air conditioning the gymnasium at Southside Primary.