(Posted April 16, 2018)
By Linda Dillman, Staff Writer
Bob Hiss, director of facilities and transportation for Jefferson Local Schools, reported on the condition of the high school track at the April 9 school board meeting. The district recently held a bid opening for a project to renovate the track surface, remove the pole vault pit, and re-dress the shot put area.
“The track is almost at the end of its service life,” Hiss said. “The public also uses the track, and it’s a staple in our community.”
The project went out for bid in March. After the bidding cycle closed at the beginning of April, only one bid was received. Hiss said they expected up to four bidders.
Hiss said the late start might account for the low response, with contractors already committed to other projects. The single bid was $124,200 for the trio of items and came within the 10 percent ceiling of the project’s $113,000 estimated cost.
“This project is not overly large,” Hiss said.
The project calls for removing and replacing the deteriorating rubberized track surface, as well as inspecting the asphalt base and making repairs as necessary with contingency funds.
If the project is approved, work will begin June 1 and take two months to complete.
David Harper, school board president, commented that he was not happy with communications with the board regarding the project.
“The board has not seen drawings and details of the project, and I think there needs to be better information on the flow of these capital projects,” he said.
“I saw strong support (via email) to see these projects done, but there were a lot of questions.”
Board members did not take action on the contract proposal during the meeting.
The next school regular board meeting is May 14.
