Southeastern school board approves $1.5M construction bid for new gym

The Southeastern Board of Education has approved a $1.5 million bid from a Springfield construction company to begin construction, as soon as April, on a new gym.

David Shea, Superintendent of Southeastern Schools, said that the district will not be raising tax dollars for the project and will likely finance the cost and pay it off over several years.

“The board approved the plan with a vote of 5-0,” Shea said.

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The gym will be used for many purposes, Shea said, including indoor recess, after youth sports and community events. It will not replace the current gym being used at Southeastern High School.

Kapp Construction, a locally owned business founded in 1985, was awarded the gym construction project after presenting the the lowest bid at a board meeting on Feb. 19. The bid came in at $1,548,600.

Scott Wells, project manager with Kapp Construction, said that the company was able to save the Southeastern district over a hundred thousand dollars with their bid.

“The next closest bid came in at $1,674,000,” Wells said. “Some bids went well over two million.”

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While Kapp Construction’s original bid was $1,548,600, the actual total for the project will end up coming out to be $1,586,550, Wells said.

Wells said this is because the school board decided to opt for some alternatives, or additions that are not stated in the original bid but are given as options to add-on to the project.

“They opted to also go with some fixed lighting, upgraded flooring and lining panels within the walls,” Wells said.

Wells said that the new gym will consist of athletic flooring, an indoor track, a full sized basketball court with four adjustable basketball hoops, a volleyball court, a wrestling room, a weight room, locker rooms, offices and more.

Michael Huff, associate architect with Levin-Porter Architects, who is working directly with Kapp Construction, presented the computer generated final product of the gym.

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“This is definitely a building that will not be used for assemblies, it is something that will primarily be used for sports,” Huff said.

Since being awarded the project, Wells said that Kapp has been working on paperwork and planning with Levin-Porter, however construction is expected to begin soon.

“If we are talking about actual work on the site, probably around mid-April,” Wells said.

Wells said that the contract for the project states the end date of the project will fall at the end of January 2020, however, Wells said he wants to try to finish the project by December.

“Our original bid stated that the end date would be in December, but the board decided to take some time to think about the offer,” Wells said. “When they came back the bid was updated with an end date of January, but we are going to try to finish by that original end date.”


Facts & Figures

15,261: Square footage of the new Southeastern gym

$1,548,600: The bid price that secured the project for Kapp Construction

$1,674,000: Second lowest for gym construction project

Springfield News-Sun

The Springfield News-Sun is dedicated to covering issues important to local school communities, including new school construction projects.

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