Hermon receives two building bids for middle school

HERMON – Building committee members have been crossing their fingers for weeks in hopes that the middle school construction bids would be low enough to make the project feasible.

The suspense has ended. However, another round may be coming.

Bids received from two construction companies were opened Thursday morning, but officials say there is a lot to be considered before they take the next step.

E.L. Shea of Ellsworth provided a base bid of $4,599,963 for the project, while it also provided price tags for additional renovations the committee hoped to complete if they had the funds.

The cost for all eight of the alternative projects, which include replacing the exterior siding and windows on the building, totals $231,767. If the committee chooses to add these amenities, it would bring the total cost of the construction and renovation to $4,831,730.

In the town meeting Thursday night, Town Manager Clint Deschene announced the committee would only pursue four of the additional projects because of cost.

Ganneston Construction Corp. of Augusta bid $4,670,000 on the base and $285,800 for the additional renovations, bringing the cost of the total project to $4,955,800.

“I thought it was a very good plan and it helps when the bids come in very close,” Ed Marsh, building committee chair, said after the bids were read. “Overall this is feasible, but there are still a few steps that need to take place.”

On June 14, 2005, voters approved a $4.3 million bond to perform renovations and construction on the middle school site.

The plans include building an addition to the existing building that would house a gymnasium, a music room, art room, catering kitchen, public accessible restrooms and an administrative office, which is placed at the head of the newly designed front entrance.

The existing building would undergo renovations that would bring the fire alarm system up to code, install a new hot water heating system, a ventilation system, sprinkler system, install a new sewer system and completely renovate the restrooms.

“These [the bids] are definitely something we can work with and will answer a lot of parent concern about the atmosphere for learning,” Donna Pulver, school committee member, said.

Superintendent Patricia Duran said the state has agreed to lend the town $953,604 out of the Revolving Renovation Funds program, but the same letter that granted the money also explained that the fund has no money in it for projects not considered an emergency.

On Feb. 22, the Department of Education temporarily suspended the acceptance of new applications for lack of funds, but Hermon submitted its application before that date and the state will honor its promise, Ed Antz, educational specialist in school construction at the state department, said Thursday.

Based on financial need, the school district is “forgiven” from paying a portion of the loan and then the town would pay back the remainder at zero percent interest over 10 years, Antz said. At this point, Hermon would be “forgiven” 64.44 percent of the loan, but that amount could change slightly after July 1, the educational specialist said.

When the money would be available is not “an answerable question,” he said, but it should not take a whole year.

“We’re not looking at years down the road. We’re looking at months,” Antz said.

Once considering the costs, the $4.3 million public approved money and the state loan, the unmet balance is $155,055.

The building committee will meet at 5 p.m. Monday at the town office, followed by a school committee meeting at 6:30, to address how to bring the project to budget.

“We need to find out exactly what we do have for money before we decide where we are going to go next,” Duran said. “This [the bidding process] is part of the equation, now we move to the next part.”