Cape Girardeau school board authorizes contract negotiations on athletic complex

At a regular meeting, Monday, March 27, the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Board of Education authorized negotiations with multiple contractors in the construction of the first phase of an athletic complex to be built on the Central High School campus.

The board appointed superintendent Neil Glass the task of negotiating with Brockmiller Construction Inc., the project's construction manager at risk (CMAR), for general trades work on the facility. In turn, the board authorized the CMAR to negotiate with three additional contractors for the facility's site work and utility needs. Those contractors are: Fronabarger Concreters Inc. for the site work, Raider Mechanical Inc. for the plumbing and Cotner Electric for the electrical.

Per information listed in the agenda for Monday night's meeting, "these projects were solicited in the local paper, as well as communicated to area contractors by the CMAR. They solicited 51 subcontractors and 21 of them downloaded drawings and 17 of those 21 submitted quotes on the general trades or other packages."

The agenda also stated: "The project estimate was $2.6 million and the bid total for the Athletic Facility Phase I is $2,485,409.00 which includes the 7% for the CMAR." Also, "The building has a lead time of 14-17 weeks," putting the first phase completion near the end of July or beginning of August.

Josh Crowell, the assistant superintendent of Support Services, said he felt "fortunate" they received bids under budget.

Board members Veronica Langston and Paul Cairns expressed concern the board had not determined a total cost for the athletic complex.

"I ask you, 'Why have we not set down a cost for a usable building instead of a cost for this shell?'" Langston asked. "I think the community and I personally would feel better if we had a total cost."

Langston made a motion to postpone the discussion until the next regular meeting "when we can get that information together."

The motion was not seconded.

Cairns said he agreed with Langston, in principle.

"I think we know what it's going to cost to finish this facility, for the most part, and we just seem like we don't want to say it. I don't understand why we don't want to say it," Cairns said.

Crowell said, "Until something goes out to bid" it's hard to say what the project will cost. He said he could give an estimate of what he thought the total cost would be but cautioned, doing that in open session, the district would be "showing our hand" to contractors. That, he said, would spoil the bidding process.

The construction of an athletic complex was listed in the district's 2023-24 budget at a cost of $2 million. The board authorized Glass to negotiate with Brockmiller Construction to be CMAR and to create plans for an athletic complex during the regular board meeting Nov. 21.

However, at a subsequent board meeting Jan. 23, Glass informed the board that, due to rising material costs, $2 million would not be enough to pay for the completed athletic complex. He proposed breaking the project into phases, the first of which would be a "shell" including the utilities for $2.1 million. Glass also proposed widening the indoor turf for an additional cost of $443,000.

The board, at the Jan. 23 meeting, authorized Glass to negotiate a contract with Brockmiller Construction to create plans for phase one of the athletic complex at a cost not to exceed $2.6 million.

Cairns asked Glass during the Jan. 23 board meeting how much the remaining portion of the complex would cost.

"It'll take another 2 million," Glass said. "That's my best guess."

At Monday's meeting, the board voted to approve the four motions to negotiate the contracts with the contractors listed above. Langston was the only member who voted against each motion.