With the passage of the Heartland School Bond, it’s a busy time for the school board to begin the process of receiving bids and planning the logistics of the comprehensive construction project for Heartland Community Schools.
Since the Heartland School Bond passed in the May 14 election by a 63% margin, the school board has wasted no time in preparing for the next steps in the process to start this long-awaited project. They met in a special session on Monday, May 20th, to get the ball rolling with their facilities project’s initial engagement timeline. Here’s what it looks like for the next month:
“We were able to put this schedule together right after the election, and we see no problem sticking to this schedule in terms of putting the project out for bids and opening bids. We expect the bids to be released later today (May 22-23) or tomorrow,” said Superintendent Klein. That gives contractors about four weeks to prepare their bid packages, and Klein said the bids must be received by 2 p.m.Thursday, June 20, at 2 p.m.
Immediately following the deadline, the architect team and Heartland building committee members will open and read the bids. During this time, those who submitted bids will be present to answer any questions or clarify any information. By Tuesday, June 25, they will make a decision and name the contractor for the project.
“We’ll know better about a projected start date after the contractor is chosen, and we will be able to schedule a series of meetings to go over the project’s logistics, safety plans, and how best to proceed with the construction. It’s a bit complicated since we have several different areas of the school that will be under construction,” said Klein.
Coordinating phases of the project will be crucial since some areas, like the main entrance, can only be worked on after school is out. Klein said building the daycare facility is more flexible since it’s not attached to the school.
If all goes as planned Klein expects digging for footings, laying block, and utility work could begin as soon as September. Stay tuned to Heartlandbeat to learn more about the project details as it gets underway.
