Board reviews gym air-conditioning plan; specs contract quoted at $18,500, total project estimate near $300,000

The Beatrice Public Schools Committee of the Whole received an update on a proposed air-conditioning project for a school gym, including a vendor contract price for design work and a preliminary total cost estimate.

Speaker 5 said ETI, a Lincoln-based firm, has agreed to draw specifications and quoted a design fee of $18,500. "The cost is $18,500 to draw the specs," Speaker 5 said. The presenter added that unit and equipment costs were estimated in the range of $250,000–$260,000 and that drawings and related work could add another $20,000–$25,000, putting a rough total near $300,000.

Speaker 5 noted a state-statutory requirement: projects costing $136,000 or more require an engineer to stamp plans. "Remember that we have to do this for the state statute requirement of anything that's cost $136,000 or more," Speaker 5 said, recommending attorney review of the contract to limit reimbursable expenses.

Board members asked about alternative funding and bond impacts; Speaker 5 said the district is still paying Series B bonds through 2030 and that future bond issues could include refurbishing projects such as a new gym floor or bleachers. Speaker 5 also described practical installation issues discussed during a vendor walk-through, including routing tubing through windows, electrical hookups and fenced ground-mounted units for maintenance access.

No formal contract award or funding decision was made at the meeting; Speaker 5 said staff would return with more detailed reimbursable-expense estimates and a reviewed contract.