An Auburn construction firm got a nod from the Brewton City School board members Thursday and could begin work on the T.R. Miller campus as early as July.
Superintendent Lynn Smith said the firm, First Team Construction, came in with the lowest bid on the proposed construction and renovations planned at the school.
“Their bid was $9,751,000,” Smith said. “That was the low bid for the project and my recommendation for awarding the bid. There may be a chance that the project could go over that amount with change orders, if they are needed during the construction. We are looking at about a month from the time all paperwork is completed for the project. We should probably see some work begin by the first of July.”
The project will include new administration offices, classrooms and lunchroom, Smith said. The science classrooms, gymnasium and band room facilities — all of which were built in the past 15 years or so — will remain on the campus.
Smith said the first phase of the project would include the demolition of a specific portion of the buildings in place on the campus.
“The first thing to do will be the demolition of the building that currently houses the lunchroom and the consumer sciences classroom,” Smith said. “That has do be done before students come back to campus in the fall. Once the demolition is complete, the construction of a new building will begin.”
Smith said the new construction would house a lunchroom, classrooms and computer labs.
“This will be a much larger facility,” Smith said. “We expect that the first phase will be complete by June 1, 2014.”
A second, and any subsequent phase for the construction, would also involve additional demolition of the existing buildings on the campus.
“The second phase will also involve some demotion and that just can’t be done when there are students on the campus,” Smith said. “The start date for that phase has not been set.”
Smith said funding for the project is being made possible through a loan at Trustmark bank.
“We are moving along with that loan that was approved by the board this week,” Smith said. “It will be arranged so that we send the bills to the bank and they send us the money to pay them. That means we won’t be paying any interest on the loan until we actually begin using the money.”
Smith said the finalization of the bid paperwork is pending approval from the Alabama State Board of Education and would move forward after that approval is secured.