Cheney board OKs high school constructability

Expansion and renovation work at Cheney High School is one step closer to beginning, thanks to the approval by the school district’s board of directors of a resolution accepting a constructability review report.

The review was based upon architect ALSC’s 90 percent completed construction documents dated May 14, and was conducted by staff at the district, construction management firm OAC and general contractor Lydig Construction. In addition, Coffman Engineers performed a peer review of the documents.

According to an OAC decision paper, the overall comments on the construction documents were favorable except for portions dealing with electrical line power and mechanical/plumbing, which were not complete “due to missing information or lack of coordination.” Design engineers must respond to comments and incorporate the documents.

The next step after board approval is for ALSC to take all of the review comments and incorporate them into the final, complete construction documents, which should take place by the end of June. The same reviewers of the 90 percent documents will also review the final editions.

OAC project manager Rusty Pritchard told the board the review helps to remove any ambiguity from the final construction documents.

“When a bidder looks at the documents, they’re clear and they’re concise,” Pritchard said. “You get better bids that way.”

The review is also a requirement of the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s D-9 application, which would allow the district to receive up to $7 million in state funding for unhoused students.

The board also held a first reading of a revised district policy dealing with bid requirements. Revisions to the policy language included allowing the district to forego the competitive bidding process on improvements or repairs to district property, and use state funds in the process, if the project exceeds $100,000, up from $75,000.

With regards to purchases using federal funds, those ranging from $3,500 – $75,000, down from $150,000, must get price or rate quotes from at least three or more qualified sources, while purchases of more than $75,000 must be publicly solicited through sealed bids.

In an enrollment report, Finance Director Jamie Weingart said final figures for the 2018-2019 school year were 4,656 students, a decrease of 25 students, 14 full-time equivalent students. The district’s ending fund balance — the amount needed to essentially cover one month of operations should revenues disappear — is trending back upwards, as planned.

The fund peaked in April at just over $8.9 million, but dipped to $8.22 million in May.

“As we close the next couple of months, we expect to end where we began,” Weingart said.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.