Monroe board says permitting hurdles cleared as high school project moves toward bids

Monroe Local School District officials told the board on Wednesday that key permitting and contracting steps are advancing the district’s new high‑school project.

Superintendent (name on file as “Superintendent”) said the district resubmitted updated site and building plans, split civil and building submissions to speed reviews, and expects the Board of Zoning Appeals hearing on July 15. The superintendent said staff will bring a focused set of district and community speakers to the public zoning hearing to limit hearing time and present core facts.

Robertson Construction submitted bid tallies to the district, and district staff reported the contractor received a combined total of 97 bids across all trade packages. Staff said vendors submitted multiple bids for different packages and that the contractor will perform a scope review comparing the lowest two bids on each package to confirm completeness before recommending a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) to the board. The district said it will likely call a special meeting to approve the GMP because the regular July meeting is late in the month.

On public infrastructure, district staff and board members discussed an ODOT LPA (local public agency) federal agreement to fund turn‑lane improvements on State Route 63 at Yankee in conjunction with the high‑school project. Amy (district staff) said she negotiated language to remove an unreasonable maintenance obligation from the boilerplate ODOT agreement; the board approved a preliminary resolution to cooperate with ODOT to secure grant funds for the turn‑lane work.

Staff also flagged a utility coordination item: Duke Energy must move a pole before the new school entrance can be used safely. The superintendent said the district has a plan to begin road improvements before the pole is moved, but access will be restricted until the pole relocation is completed.

Board members welcomed the progress. ‘‘We’ve all found it very frustrating, but you guys have stuck to it,’’ said board member Mr. Carpenter, praising staff persistence. The superintendent said the district is “finally heading in the right direction” on permitting and bid review.

Next steps: staff will complete the contractor scope reviews, present a recommended GMP as soon as practicable, prepare witnesses and materials for the July 15 BZA hearing, and continue coordination with ODOT and Duke Energy on the road and utility work.