School Approves Building of Music Room – Awards Construction Project

— by Kimberley Kimple, Orcas Issues reporter ––

The second opening of bids for the next phase of 2017 Bond and Levy Construction projects was the order of business in the first of two school board meetings Tuesday.

When all bids came in over budget during the first submittal in November, Orcas Island School District decided to pull apart the full list of projects and make the difficult decision to eliminate items, reducing the overall scope of the bond.

Safe from the cutting block are the scheduled renovations to the Old Gym, as well as upgrades to the field –including a gravel track– as the base bids will encompass those projects. However, the following items were moved to an add alternate list, with only one to be selected for completion with this construction phase:

• Rubberized Track Surface
• Music/Multi-purpose Room
• Entry Drive, Parking Lot, Pedestrian Paths

A total of four bid packets were submitted, opened, and reviewed, and the meeting adjourned.

Convening for the second meeting, public comment opened to pleas from representatives of the Music Advocacy Group and the Orcas Choral Society in favor of building the long-awaited Music/Multi-purpose room, which has been slated to be used primarily by the flourishing OISD K-12 music and strings program.

“We were elated that the Bond passed with the Multi-Purpose/Music room intact. This latest turn of events is of serious concern, not just for MAG but also for our community of music supporters who have helped sustain the school music program for over two decades,” shared Jan Ehrlichman on behalf of MAG, “We ask that the completion of the Music Wing remain a part of this bond construction.”

Upon weighing each of the bids, including add alternates, the Board elected to approve the completion of the Music/Multi-Purpose Room. Coming in with the lowest bid for the updated scope is Tiger Construction at $8,157,429.

• Track: Currently, all supporting work around the field, including grading of the track, will be completed. There is potential to replace the surface of the track with rubberized material in the future.

• Parking Lot and Pathways: Eric Webb shared the possibility of collaboration with San Juan County to remedy traffic issues and improve the entry road up to the point of the loading dock. This plan would still leave the remainder of the road and high school parking lot as is for the time being.

• Health 2/High School Water: Scheduled to be bid separately in January.

• High School HVAC: Improvements are complete, and the building is reported to have heat for the first time in years.

• Waldron Improvements: Field measurements are complete and work is scheduled to begin soon.

The 2017 Bond and Levy Construction Projects are scheduled to begin between January and April, with completion in mid to late 2019.

Other items covered at the meeting included regular monthly business; a presentation on a successful OISD Special Education program; and a progress report from the Montessori Steering Committee who is moving toward finding ways to propose working within the district campus as a separate entity. Webb confirmed that there have been applicants for the upcoming Montessori teaching position vacancy and that the application window would be closing at the end of this month.

Orcas Island School District Board meetings are open to the public and take place on the fourth Thursday of each month in the school library.