Board approves athletic-building bid packages; north-end project part of larger ~ $20.15M campus estimate

The Richland County CUSD 1 board opened, read and approved bid packages for the north-end athletic building, covering general trades, concrete, masonry, structural steel, roofing, fire suppression, plumbing/HVAC and electrical.

The district’s bid recap listed the largest trade contractors and contract prices, with the total coming in substantially below earlier estimates on the building-specific line items. Construction-manager allowances and indirect (soft) costs were discussed; presented figures put the building estimate at about $5.12 million and the broader campus estimate at roughly $20.15 million.

A board member asked for clarification about parking, scoreboard and geo-surface contracts as part of the campus total. The motion to approve the athletic building bid packages passed on a roll-call vote; six board members voted yes and Mr. Jake Anderson recorded the lone no vote. During the discussion, community comment earlier in the meeting urged the board to set and enforce cost caps on the project before proceeding to long-term financing.

District staff said long-lead items such as press boxes and bleachers are scheduled for July and August and that site work (drainage, lime stabilization) is underway. The board directed staff to continue providing updated cost estimates and to review post-bid budgets and soft costs as the project proceeds.