The Christian County Board of Education voted Thursday to reject all bids for a construction manager for the upcoming combined school construction and opted to go the general contractor route.
In the brief special called meeting held virtually, Assistant Superintendent Josh Hunt said bids were advertised late last year and opened this week.
click to download audioGeneral contractors are the people in charge of the day-to-day on-site operation of a construction project. Among their responsibilities are looking at an architect’s designs and using them to put together a bid package for how much they estimate the project will cost.
While a construction manager typically has a similar role as a general contractor, they usually have an expanded set of responsibilities and a different financial incentive structure. In most cases, a general contractor’s duties are largely confined to the on-site management while being involved in the project from the very beginning.
Director of Finance Jessica Darnell broke down the expected cost of the construction management model.
click to download audioHunt says the money saved by working with a general contractor can be put back into the school project.
click to download audioThe Christian County School Board has voted to combine Hopkinsville High and Christian County High into a single school located on 87 acres on Fort Campbell Boulevard at the intersection with Lover’s Lane.
A BG-1 form for the construction of the consolidated high school campus along with the Gateway Academy has been approved in the amount of $97 million with project costs totaling $107 million.
There has been no official date on when the new campus will be completed or any decision made on whether to combine the schools in their current buildings before the new school is finished.