SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - Parents and Sioux City residents are lamenting the latest delay in the opening of a new elementary school after several homes were demolished to make room for it.
Plans to start classes at the new Bryant Elementary School in the fall of 2019 unraveled March 14 after the low bid for the project’s final phase came in nearly $3 million higher than the district’s estimate. The main reason for the high bids is thought to be due to rising concrete costs, the Sioux City Journal (https://bit.ly/2nF7dXQ ) reported.
The school board decided to revisit the architectural plans to save costs rather than pay more money, which superintendent Paul Gausman said will push the school opening to August 2020.
Resident Erik Peterson said the dirt blowing from the construction site has created an annoyance for the neighborhood.
“We’d like a building in here sooner than later,” he said.
Students will meanwhile continue to take classes at the former Crescent Park Elementary.
The first two phases of the project included demolition, site preparation, street work and utilities, which cost nearly $ million. The final phase covering the school construction was estimated at $16 million. But L&L Buildings of Sioux City came in at the lowest bid of nearly $19 million.
District architect Cannon Moss Brygger is now developing new plans that officials said will likely go into the summer. School board member John Meyers said he expects the next bids to be lower, but still doubts they will be around the $16 million goal.
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Information from: Sioux City Journal, https://www.siouxcityjournal.com
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