The installation of modular classrooms at Woodhull Intermediate School is a step closer when the Huntington Board of Education approved a series of bid awards for the work.
Trustees rejected the initial bids on the project as too expensive. The district originally intended to place three modular classrooms at Woodhull, but will now have a four-classroom complex on the grounds near the building.
The district expects Woodhull teachers and students to be using the new modular units by the end of January. The rooms will free up space in the building. Each classroom has its own heating and cooling unit. There are also restrooms in the modular complex.
Awarded contracts were:
- M-Space was awarded bids for general contracting ($150,000) and plumbing ($20,300).
- Locust Valley Electrical was awarded an $118,450 bid for electrical work.
- Architectural fees are pegged at $19,490.63 and $25,000 has been budgeted for "soft costs" bringing the capital project's cost to $333,240.63.
Trustees had established a "transfer to capital" line in the 2010/11 budget in the amount of $255,000 to cover the estimated cost of leasing and installing three modular rooms. However, initial bids on the project came in far above the estimates, leading trustees to rebid the project.
Trustees voted 7-0 last Monday night to transfer $80,000 from the district's general fund into the capital line to cover the difference in the estimated cost of the project and the bid award amounts.
The three-year cost to lease the four modular rooms will be $352,401. The amount breaks down as follows:
- Jan. 1 - June 30, 2011: $50,106
- July 1 - June 30, 2012: $100,212
- July 1 - June 30, 2013: $100,212
- July 1 - December 31, 2013: $50,106
- Removal: $51,765
"We are excited that this project is finally moving and our teachers and students will be able to use these rooms for a variety of purposes within the next few months," Superintendent John J. Finello said.
