High school construction budget back on target

New cost estimates for the Whitefish High School construction project put the building’s cost per square foot below original projections and within the $19 million budget.

The building is currently expected to come in at $135 per square foot, which is $5 less than the original estimate for the project during the conceptual phase.

“We’re really excited about the plan and we’re within the budget,” Bayard Dominick, the district’s consultant for the project, told the school board Nov. 13.

The approval allows architect DLR Group to move forward with creating construction documents.

“This evening we are one step closer to creating a facility that will be worthy of the promise and talent of our Whitefish students,” said Superintendent Kate Orozco.

After creating design plans and acquiring construction cost estimates the projected cost was $1.3 million over budget. The design team has spent the last few months reviewing the design and making changes to bring the project within budget.

According to Dominick, the cost estimates were above the budget because of changes to the design and unforeseen construction costs. There were three primary reasons why initial cost estimates were higher than original projections.

The most significant increase in cost is due to soil conditions at the site. Examination of the soil shows that additional work is needed to prepare the site for construction. The conditions have resulted in increased costs associated with the foundation work in the new portion of the school.

“Any place we build the school they we’re going to have to over excavate and then bring in structural overlay,” Dominick said.

Secondly, after working to create detailed plans it was decided at the input of administration and faculty to add to the classroom size. About 3,000 square feet was added since the original concept and therefore increasing the overall cost.

The third reason for the cost increase is additional parking spaces. The architect’s conceptual plan included about 285 parking spaces, but city code requires an additional 100 spaces. The added spaces created further unanticipated costs.

To make up the difference and make estimates reconcile with the budget, the design team, DLR Group and general contractor Langlas & Associates along with the district’s oversight and budget committee spent weeks examining the project. They looked at a number of items in the building including interior finishes, mechanical systems and building materials to cut costs.

“We’ll still be able to deliver world class, 21 Century education,” Dominick said. “We’re excited about what’s included in the design. We feel that if we cut any more it will effect the quality of education and the sustainability of the project.”

He noted that the cost of $135 per square foot is below the average of $161 per square foot of Langlas’ other school projects.

Loren Cantrell with Langlas said the project is below the national average of $162 per square foot for a high school of this size. He pointed out that Glacier High School was built for $114 per square foot.

“Glacier High School has an economy of scale that drove its cost down,” he said. “We’re doing excellent.”

A list of alternatives totaling $1.8 million was created as items were removed to make up the budget difference. A target list of those items has been created for what might be added back to the design if funding becomes available through cost savings in construction or donations and grants.

“As we cut costs we’ll be working to add revenue to the project,” Dominick said. “We can now really kick off the alternative fundraising.”

An example of the items that were placed on the alternative list, include a remodel of the locker rooms, finishing of the lecture performance space and adding a computer science software lab.

“Removing the locker room remodel is because that’s not a learning space,” Dominick said. “It’s in the last phase of the project and if we get the funding we can add that in.”

Dominick cautioned that the removal of the computer science classroom doesn’t mean the school won’t have computers; rather the school is designed to have computers integrated into the classrooms. The computer science classroom was designed for specific classes that aren’t yet part of the curriculum.

Langlas & Associates is expected to continue to review the cost estimates, as construction documents are complete. The project is expected to be divided into two bid packages. The first to include the site and foundation work expected to be submitted to the city for permit review in January. The remainder of the project is expected to go to bid in May.

Groundbreaking on the new high school is set for late March or early. April. The move-in date is still scheduled for August 2014.