Carmel Clay Schools Associate Superintendent Roger McMichael attempted to soften the blow of inflation leading to a higher-than-expected construction cost.
McMichael told the school board at its June 26 meeting that the good news is there was significant participation in the bids for the Carmel High School football stadium’s south support building, and that the bids were all close together.
“The bad news is, this project came in considerably over the estimate,” McMichael said. “The estimate was $5.8 million, and the bids are just under $7.2 million, and that’s not typical. Although in recent months it might seem like it’s typical, generally our construction manager company typically would be within five percent or less (on the bid).”
The bid award for the south support building was approved 5-0.
McMichael said the plan is to move funding from a bond issue for upgrades at Creekside Middle School project to the next bond issue. Most of the work, which includes resurfacing the parking lots and repairing sidewalks, is not set to be done at Creekside until the spring of 2024, so it won’t change the project schedule but will change the funding source.
The football stadium support building will include unified athletics locker rooms, new restrooms, hospitality space and concessions on the visitors’ side. The building will be a new entry point for the complex.
McMichael said the likelihood is the longer the district waits to begin construction, the more the project will cost.
At the meeting, three other change orders were approved by a 4-1 vote. Two of the issues involved approving expenditures for the performing arts center. The third issue involved $35,000 for placing a logo on the Murray Stadium soccer field.
“We would have intended a logo to be there like it is on the football stadium, but it wasn’t,” McMichael said. “So, this is providing the logo in the artificial turf.”
Board member Greg Brown, who voted against the expenditures, voted against spending $35,000 from the capital budget on a soccer field logo.
“I question the fiscal responsibility of that and we might find better uses, particularly in the realm of safety,” Brown said. “There are still some bits and pieces that could be improved to make the buildings a little more safe, (such as to) fortify windows, that kind of thing.”
McMichael said adding the logo is “not keeping us from doing something with security that we might all agree would be more important.”
In addition, the board approved two appointments to represent the district on the Carmel Clay Public Library Board. Former CHS principal John Williams was approved to serve another term and Rosie Foulke for a first term. Foulke replaces Patti Napier, who had served the maximum of four consecutive terms.
