Bid under budget

The cost of the new Wentworth Intermediate School comes in $3 million less than expected

SCARBOROUGH — When contractor bids to build the new Wentworth Intermediate School in Scarborough were opened Sept. 6, there was perhaps no happier face in the assembled crowd than Principal Anne-Mayre Dexter.

“This day for me is leaps and bounds over where I was in 2006,” she said, referencing a previous failed bond vote for the school. “This is now an opportunity for children to really and truly have the environment they need. I could not be more grateful to the citizens of Scarborough, or more thankful, honestly, that they were able to recognize how critical a moment this was.”

In November, 63 percent of voters approved a $39.1 million bond to construct a new, 163,000-square-foot building for children in grades 3-5, replacing what was built to be Scaborough’s Junior High School in 1962. After administrative, architect and engineering costs, and furniture purchases, $31.2 million was budgeted for construction, and there were some nervous twittering in the room as bid envelopes were opened.

Four forms submitted quotes, with the lowest and winning bid, for $27.94 million, turned in by Arthur C. Dudley Contractor/Builder Inc. of Standish. That was more than $3 million under what the school department had estimated. Even the high bid – $28.98 million submitted by Wright-Ryan Construction of Portland – came in under budget.

“I was thinking it was going to be lot closer to budget that it was,” said school board Chairman Robert Mitchell. “I was certainly a little worried, that’s for sure.”

The worry was due to the fact that, in February, bids for the South Portland High School renovation project came in at $3 million more than its $39.26 million construction budget, forcing the building committee there to scramble for last-minute cuts. Both projects were designed and managed by Auburn-based Harriman Associates of Auburn, and the company’s leader on school projects, Dan Cecil, raised eyebrows by blaming the high bid on a marginally improved economy. Because contractors had enough work to keep their crews busy, but not quite enough to make new hires, they were not “hungry” for new projects, he said at the time.

Cecil later said that Wentworth is a much different project than South Portland High School – a rebuild rather than a renovation – and the Scarborough project is on flat ground to boot. He predicted no repeat of the previous over bid and that was born out. Still, said Dexter, “I was quite concerned right up until the envelopes were opened.”

As it turns out, Town Manager Tom Hall, with help from Mitchell, engineered the juggling of town debt in March in a way that folded $1.35 million annual payments on the school into the town’s existing debt service, at no increase to taxpayers. By refinancing about a third of Scarborough’s $67 million in debt, originally borrowed at 4.33 percent, at a new interest rate of 2.48 percent, the town took on the full cost of the Wentworth project – $61.9 million over 30 years, with interest – at the same annual debt service payment of $8.4 million taxpayers fund now.

“It is good that they were right that this really is the right time to do a new school,” said Superintendent George Entwistle. “It’s not just that we need it and it’s an important health and safety issue for our kids, but you can get a pretty good deal on a school these days.

“It also feeds the local economy and we all benefit in that way,” said Entwistle.

Paul Koziell, chairman of the 42-member Wentworth Building Committee, said the best part of the bids was not that they were lower than expected, but that they were so tightly grouped.

“That tells us the winning bidder put in a very good bid,” he said. “We’re very, very happy with the bid results.”

“It tells me that the drawings and the specifications were very clear and that everyone understood what they were seeing,” said Cecil. “I compliment out team on that and I’m grateful to the community for approving the project.”

On Friday, a review of Dudley’s bid by Koziell and Cecil, along with other building committee and Harriman officials, proved that Dudley’s bid was, in fact, sound. At a building committee meeting on Monday, it was agreed to grant Dudley an additional $134,400 to make a new play field for the school, and $4,000 for an upgraded roof membrane.

A special school board meeting was scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday to award a contract to Dudley.

“You’ll start seeing activity over there by then end of the month and then it’s off to the races,” said Cecil, adding, “I am thrilled with the bid results. Art Dudley is an excellent contractor. I believe that he will do an excellent job for Scarborough.”

Dexter agrees, noting that it was Dudley that renovated the town’s three elementary schools in 1991, when she was group principal of those buildings.

“I am very confident they can do this job,” she said. “They were very efficient then. They were good communicators and they kept us safe during the construction itself.”

Harriman previously worked with Dudley on the Durham Community School in 2010 and, in 2009, the Raymond A. Geiger Elementary School in Lewiston.

One thing Dudley will not have to worry about is the school playground. Miracle Recreation Equipment won the contract for that $120,000 project and finished Phase 1 just in time for the first day of school.

“I will tell you, we have the highest compliments for Miracle,” said Dexter.

Although the playground will be moved later in the project –  everything was shipped this summer to save money and most equipment remains in storage – some elements were put up now in a temporary location in front of the school because the old playground sits on the footprint of the new building.

“Keeping the kids active for at least 100 minutes a week of unstructured play is very important,” said Keith Kitchin, one of two physical education teachers at Wentworth. “This new equipment allows that, with many elements so they are not waiting in line to use a single piece.”

Students voted on the playground equipment they liked best and a student committee helped vet bids submitted based on the preferences of their peers.

Kitchin said he was very happy to hear that the extra field will now become part of the project. “In addition to the creative play they are able to do here in the new playground, kids also need a place "to just run,” he said.

The extra field is not expected to affect a wetland mitigation project bartered on site between the town and the state Department of Environmental Protection to skirt a $218,000 fine for filling 1.35 acres of wetlands to build the new school

As part of a 15:1 requirement, the town will give up for permanent conservation 20.5 of the 42 acres the town owns in the so-called Wiley Parcel off Tenney Road.

“We’re almost there,” said Mitchell of the deal. “The Army Corps of Engineers is finalizing everything and we’re all set. It’s really just paperwork at this point, just getting the final documents signed, sealed and delivered.”

With deals done on bonding, wetland mitigation and playground construction, and construction bids in under budget, Mitchell said he hopes they school district will eventually end up borrowing less than approved by voters, even with possible cost overruns down the road.

“I hope we can manage it to $2 million under,” he said.

A CLOSER LOOK

Bids opened Sept. 6 for construction of a new intermediate school in Scarborough, budgeted at $31,191,877:

Contractor Location     Base Bid     +Playfield   +EPDM roof

Arthur C. Dudley Builder Inc.   Standish      $27,939,306         $134,400     $4,000

Harvey Construction Corp.       Bedford, N.H.       $28,028,000         $130,000     $5,000

The Sheridan Corp. Fairfield     $28,734,300         $120,310     $3,851

Wright-Ryan Construction        Portland      $28,981,000         $126,000     $4,000        

Requested packet but did not bid: PC Construction (Portland), Engelberth Construction (Colchester, Vt.), JCN Construction (Manchester, N.H.)

A CLOSER LOOK

A timeline for reconstruction of Wentworth Intermediate School.

• Completed – Bessworth Child Care building demolished. Modular classrooms on northeast corner of building removed. Temporary playground built. Some hazardous materials removed.

• September 2012 – Groundbreaking begins. Trees cleared on west side of old Wentworth.

• October 2012 – New access road built linking Municipal Drive to Scarborough Middle School.

• December 2012 – Site of new Wentworth fully cleared. Foundation work begins, starting from western-most classroom wings. Work begins to reroute utilities to new building.

• Fall 2013 – Shell in place for classroom wing of new Wentworth. Foundation laid for communal wing (gym, cafeteria, kitchen, administration, music and art). Drilling begins on geothermal well field.

• June 2014 – New Wentworth “substantially complete.” Bus loop and playground built in front of the new building at its south side.

• Summer 2014 – Equipment and materials moved from old building to new. Remaining modular classrooms removed from old building. Last of hazardous materials removed from old Wentworth and demolition begins.

• September 2014 – Classes begin at new Wentworth. Once old Wentworth removed, work begins on parking lot on footprint of demolished building. Stormwater catch basins installed.

• November 2014 – Driveways, sidewalks and landscaping finished. Project completed.