GHS Options Presentation Ready for BOE
Just one week before the Guilford High School Options Review Committee (ORC) was scheduled to give its presentation to the Board of Education, officials met with its architect Tai Soo Kim Partners (TSKP) to finalize project options costs, which now range from $34 million to $62 million.
Originally, the Board of Education was scheduled to receive the presentation on March 14, but because TSKP representatives weren't ready to discuss costs at a meeting the week before, dates had to be pushed back.
The four options, which were determined to be the better of the seven and were chosen by the committee in a previous meeting, are: baseline maintenance, renovate like new, renovate like new with a replacement two-story classroom wing, and an overall new structure.
Maintenance work would total $37.48 million, with a $34.4 million net cost to the town after anticipated state reimbursement. Like-new renovations would total $67.2 million, with a net cost of $47.1 million. Renovations with the replacement addition would cost $76.6 million, with a $55 million net and a new structure altogether would cost $87.9 million, or $62.4 million after reimbursement.
"We spent quite a bit of time on these estimates," said TSKP representative Ryszard Szczypek. Szczypek said that TSKP and its chief estimator worked with other chief estimators from a couple of companies for which town residents work, which helped produce more accurate results.
"They did receive the estimates before our meeting so they were able to review them in detail and there were things that emerged that didn't make sense," Szczypek said.
He said that the cost estimators found some of the costs relating to the renovations in certain areas were too high because of the difference in how much work actually needs to be done, and there was a slight change made in costs to the side work that has to be done to the back of the school.
Szczypek also introduced additional energy and safety option items that were not included in the project cost estimates on which officials will ultimately have to decide.
Items include geothermal wells, cogeneration, photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, making the high school efficient enough to be an emergency center, and green roofing.
Both the geothermal wells and cogeneration options would add approximately $1.5 million to the construction costs. Geothermal wells are expected to have a life span of 12 to 15 years, but cogeneration would have no payback to the town unless offset by grant money, Szczypek said.
Photovoltaic panels, which are 10 to 15 percent efficient, add approximately $1.2 million to construction costs. The costs for wind turbines and a green roof have not yet been determined.
If officials decide to design the high school so that it could be used as an emergency shelter, it will have to be decided if the town wants to make it an unofficial or official center.
An unofficial shelter would add $300,000 for a 1,000 KW generator and should have at least electricity in areas for cots and kitchen equipment, Szczypek said.
An official emergency shelter would add $100,000 in costs for electric water heaters and plumbing, as this level of shelter must have hot water and showering facilities. It would also require $100,000 for additional structure reinforcements in order to meet higher seismic requirements.
"It makes all the sense in the world," said Michael Ayles, facilitator of the building committee. "But the direction can't come from this committee or the Board of Education; it's got to come from the town."
These additional options will be presented to the Board of Education along with the final cost estimations on Thursday, March 24. A public hearing is also scheduled for Monday, March 28 starting at 6 p.m. at the high school library.