Schools

Hiring an Architect May Be Next Step for Dodge

The Board of Education discussed how hiring an architect first could make the financial decision easier on the $11 million project

Even though financing the of is still unclear, the Board of Education realized if starting in 2012 is the goal, they need to act soon.

Board member Steve Shebeck said Wednesday the building and grounds committee has been discussing what their timeline is for the construction process and concluded the search for an architect was the best way to start.

“If we were to start construction on June 4, 2012, we would have to begin selecting an architect by April of this year and get a construction manager on board by May,” Shebeck said.

He said the committee and board need to start moving forward by requesting proposals from architect firms. By doing so, it could make the decision on how to easier.

“The intent would be to work towards getting construction documents prepared and specifications,” Shebeck said. “The sooner we can get that done, the better off we’re going to be as far as knowing what our costs are.”

The preliminary costs of the proposal made in January were priced higher to make sure they can “absorb any hiccups in the project.”

“I like the idea of having an architect come in and do a more-detailed review of the building,” Board President Ron Stuver said. He mentioned that many times extra costs are incurred when tearing things down because unknown factors can drastically change the project.

Building and grounds will continue to review the process to decide what changes to Dodge are absolutely necessary and what they can do without.

Board member David Andrews said hiring the architect first and getting a more detailed look at what needs to be done will help them make a more informed decision financially.

“It allows us to postpone the decision on how exactly we are going to finance this, until we have more specific numbers,” Andrews said. “This approach of getting the architect on board is the next logical step in the process.”

“I think the sooner we get moving forward with that, we won’t be behind the eight ball trying to get construction started if we decide to move forward in 2012,” Shebeck said.


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