Bids approved for HVAC work and bleachers

— School board members unanimously approved two bids on Monday night, one to repair the heating, vent and air-conditioning system at the Gentry Intermediate School and a second to replace the visitors’ bleachers in Pioneer Stadium.

Only one bid was received for the HVAC project at the Intermediate School, that of Arkansas Air and Refrigeration for $291,715.69.

Gentry Schools superintendent Randy Barrett said the short timeline in which the job needs to be completed - over the summer months - may have scaredaway other vendors.

“It’s a little higher than I anticipated,” Barrett said of the bid after it was opened at Monday’s meeting. “But I don’t expect it will get any cheaper if we re-bid the project. It needs to be done,” he said.

Barrett said he had anticipated the project would be closer to $200,000, but explained that the project not only includes replacing the 15 to 17 heating and air conditioning units, but reworking the ducts in the main-building portion of the school to eliminate the problems the school has had with mildew and poor air quality.

“It’s an ouch,” Barrett said, “but I think it’s what we need to do.”

A single bid - from Stadium Pros - was received to replace the visitors’ bleachers on the football field and to replace the kick boards on the home bleachers. The bid was $85,700 for the bleachers and kick boards and an additional $6,000 for a concrete pad under the visitors’ bleachers, for a total of $91,700.

“It’s not an academic project,” Barrett said. “But I don’t think anyone doesn’t see theneed to do something with the visitors’ bleachers,” he explained, calling them a “safety hazard.”

Barrett said he thought he could arrange with Stadium Pros for a local company to do the necessary demolition work and possibly pour the concrete pad. But he recommended having all the work done under contract with onecompany so that if anything would be wrong, one company would be responsible to make it right.

Barrett reported that the school district had a balance at the end of period 11 of almost $2.5 million.

He estimated, after teacher salaries are paid, the districtwould still have at least $1.7 million left at the end of the current fiscal year which runs from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010.

The board resolved to transfer a portion of thosefunds from the operating fund to the building fund to pay for the HVAC system and the new bleachers but to make sure the ending balance in operating funds is still at about $1.4 million.

News, Pages 1 on 06/16/2010