“You could say that the construction industry is a bit rocky at the moment,” said Chad Bormann from BHH Partners to the members of the Perham School Council on May 19.
With two submitted offers, the board members rejected the offers after learning that the project could not be completed at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. The original estimated cost was $ 650,000. The increased costs resulted in bids of approximately $ 1.2 million. The project costs for the next year are not known. The school plans to use funds for federal emergency aid for primary and secondary schools for the project.
The material costs change weekly with differences of 20-40%, as Bormann said. The project is made entirely of metal and block.
Although the space in the basic kitchen has been tight for years, the kitchen is still functional for another year and prevents kitchen staff and students at two schools from being disturbed, as the manager Kristi Werner and the primary school principal Liz Johnson said.
If the project had stayed in 2021, the earliest start date would have been July 1st. The project was supposed to start on May 26th, which is why the school year ended early. The calendar for the school year 2021-22 will not change due to the project.
Due to material shortages, the schedule for completion of the project would have been mid-November or simply unknown, as Hammers Construction and Baratto Brothers said in their bids. With this option, basic kitchen staff would have had to prepare meals in middle or high school for two to three months. According to Werner, the basic staff serve around 1,000 breakfasts and lunches every day.
BHH also works with the state food and beverage, buildings and plumbing departments that need to approve the remodeling plans. Only the food and beverage department approved the plan, while the remaining departments were four to five weeks behind, Bormann said.
“Would you recommend that we really start, or would it be better if we had a working kitchen for another year?” asked Mike Hamann, head of the school.
Bormann and the director of the school facilities, Russ Winkels, recommended that the offers be published early between Thanksgiving and New Years so that the contractors have their place in their schedule. Superintendent Mitch Anderson said several other plant projects could be evaluated this summer, which could help attract more contractors to bid.
Other points discussed by the board:
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