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FARMINGTON – The Mt. Blue Regional School District board officially kicked off the construction phase of the new high school Tuesday evening, approving a general contracting bid.
The unanimous vote will allow the winning contractor, Wright-Ryan Construction Inc., of Portland, to begin construction on the $64.7 million Mt. Blue High School Learning Campus. The project, funded through mostly state money, which is designed to transform the aging high school and Foster Technology Center into a state-of-the-art facility that blends traditional academics with career training. Some construction work associated with the project, such as the water and sewer lines along the Whittier Road and moving parking lots, are already underway. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2013.
The winning construction bid came in at $42,819,403 from Wright-Ryan, making up the largest section of costs associated with the entire project along with administrative costs, contingencies as well as architecture and engineering fees. That $42.8 million figure includes 12 out of 13 alternates, or additions to the plan, such as an extra tennis court, bleachers, concessions building, outdoor storage, granite curbing and a wind turbine, which will be the centerpiece of a new alternative energy program at the school. The alternates make up many of the things the Department of Education would not fund with state money, and were therefore covered through locally and privately-raised funds.
The board also voted to set aside two subcontracting bids, submitted for the installation of steel studs and structural work. The subcontracting bids were submitted for the review of the four general contractors bidding on the project, who then selected companies as part of their larger presentation to the district.
The lowest bidding subcontractor, Dirigo Engineering, had made an error in their price calculation and had requested the board allow them to withdraw their bid. The board approved the withdrawal, after the DOE and PDT Architects determined it had been an honest miscalculation.
The second lowest bidding subcontractor, Wagner Drywall, was disqualified by the school board because the company had failed to acknowledge one of six addenda, or packets of information regarding the project issued by the district. The third-lowest bidder, Porter Drywall, had responded to all six addenda and was awarded the subcontract for the project’s structural work.
A local company, E.L. Vining & Son, won the bid for site work on the Mt. Blue High School Learning Campus, coming in at $6,070,000.
School Board Chair Mark Prentiss, of Industry, congratulated everyone involved with the lengthy planning process for the building project. This included board members on the building committee, staff and administrators.
“The project, funded through mostly state money”!! With the state billions of dollars in debt this is not the time for projects like this. Make do with what you have. I would like a “state-of-the-art ” house but I will never be able to aford one so I make do with what I have. This project should have gone to referendum.
AND IM SURE THAT THE LOCAL UNEMPLOYED WILL HAVE THE FIRST CHANCE TO WORK
ON THIS PROJECT?????? IF THERE NOT , THAN THE LOCALS SHOULD DISQUALIFY ANY CONTRACTOR ON THIS JOB,,,,,,
Gee, I don’t see all the local jobs that this project was supposed to create. Will some one please clue me in to what local contractors will be hiring to do the job. I remember someone saying this project will be good for the locals! Oh yeah, how about the facts that population growth is declining and schools will not need to be so grand. You have a SAD 9 director double dipping his pay and you continue to allow the waste of taxpayers monies. Sorry Farmington residents, YOU have been had.
$100 million in new schools in Farmington?? Why, dare I say, your little hamlet of 6500 is right up there with Chicago for crooked politics! Congrats!
A Vet, did you read the article? 6 million dollar contract to Vining, do you think Kevin is going to go over there by himself and prepare the site by himself?
At least the other contract work is coming from Maine as well since it is being funded by the State of Maine it is only fair that all Maine contractors have a fair shot at it. there are certain jobs that contractors in this area are prepared to bid for and I don’t think many even applied for this big job.
Hey Vet? “A local company, E.L. Vining & Son, won the bid for site work on the Mt. Blue High School Learning Campus, coming in at $6,070,000.” It was never stated that a local company would be hired to do the whole project. Population growth in Farmington is not declining – the 2010 census prjection has a .05% growth with 24.8% of the population under 18. The current kindergarten class at mallett is the largest in 20 years.
Mac – the project did go to referendum with a 76% pass in favor of the project.
Whine, whine whine. Mac, maybe when you let all the kids in SAD 9 start tromping through your house, the State will build you a “state-of-the-art” house. Oh, and by the way, this project did go to the voters over a year ago and they did approve it. No local jobs? What is E.L. Vining & Son? If they are not local, I don’t know who is. Everyone keeps talking about how education is broken, but as soon as a community tries to improve education with better facilities for the students and better opportunities for learning, we complain that it cost too much. I wonder why education is broken. Maybe we could just move the old school house at the fairgrounds back to the Mt. Blue site and call it good. 1 room school house for 800 kids….It may not be good education, but at least it would stop people from whining about it.
We live in a capitalistic society. This means that in the free market we are going to choose the lower bidder. Maybe you should band together a group of unemployed workers and submit a bid to build a 64 million dollar school. Your ideas make no sense. You guys would be upset that we hired local people because it would have cost more.
The long term economic benefits of building a school far out-way the short term benefits of the construction. The economic benefits of an educated population would do two things:
1 It would make it so we don’t have uninformed people posting about things they don’t know.
2 Create an educated workforce will stimulate the economy. If you want to grow our economy we must invest in infrastructure: schools, roads, electricity, and internet. Why would I ever want to move to Farmington to start a business if there is not a population of well educated employees?
Please tell me how a less educated population would help us compete in a global market and employ more people.
Also Mac Your state-of-the-art house would not educate tomorrows workforce.
Would you rather it be funded with more local taxpayer money than state funding?
If Mt blue high school didnt take this state money some other community would have it is set aside for projects like this..i am happy this school is being done.. Our future is kids and if this is going to help with education and further our kids in this community that i dont see a problem with it..all i read is negativity..There is always people to find bad in something good..
We are considering moving out of the school district once our last child graduates in June. Property taxes have skyrocketed in this school district (or at least Farmington). There was not much residents could do with the new MBHS campus. I agree with Mac; the project should have gone to the voters as a referendum. At least we voted down a new police department building. Can you imagine if that had passed? We’d be paying for THREE new buildings (Mallett School, MBHS, and Farmington Police Station)! And where do people think the money from the state is coming from? HELLO! It’s your taxes!!! The state of Maine just doesn’t give out money because it has an excess of funds laying around for school projects! The state is deep in debt! What is going to lower the debt? Cuts in programs and YOUR tax money. I’m disgusted by the whole thing. The project leaders and the state leaders. Yes, ‘A Vet’, we have been had.
Mac and Sweet Pea…Didn’t you vote on the referendum more than a year ago? Turning it down would not have saved you a penny in taxes. The money allocated for the project would have gone elsewhere, where they would enjoy a new school. I’m sure you will find many area people will work — and earn money — at the site.
Do we really need 8 tennis courts in this town?
I voted against this project. To me the notion, “Well, if we don’t get it some other town will,” didn’t justify the need. It still doesn’t and it’s not “free money,” as some have suggested. It’s (our) tax dollars – our money. I still don’t think we need a $64.7 million high school in an area of this population size. I just do not believe the 10-20 year predicted demographics for the entire district warrants a school of that size and scope.
Having said all that, I had the opportunity to vote on it but more voters disagreed with me and voted in favor of the project. That’s the democratic process and I’m grateful to have participated in the process.
As a local taxpayer, I am very pleased E.L Vining & Son was awarded the $6 million low bid and I know it will do a wonderful job. It’s a great local company that supports many local families. To me, that’s the silver lining in this boondoggle of a project. I only hope Wright-Ryan Construction Inc., of Portland uses much of its $42.8 million contract to hire Franklin County’s able construction workers.
it sounds like it would be a heck of an industrial arts project!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET THE KIDS BUILD IT
AND WHO CARES HOW MUCH IT COST??? EVERYONE IN MAINE IS UNEMPLOYED ANY WAY..
Vining is the correct choice. The Company has all the needed equipment and is close. Also all the same drivers. I am in hopes someone will post the locals that get jobs at the wasteful project.
It was on the ballot and we as a town did vote on a new high school, so apparently you don’t go out and vote if you are so opposed to a new high school.
When was the last time any of you guys actually went to the high school and looked at its current state? We are in dire need of a new one.
I agree that over 100 million dollars for schools in Farmington is insanity.
@Harris Roberts: I am there practically every day during the school year (I have a son who goes to school there). Does it need significant repairs and better maintenance and upkeep? Absolutely. But a $64.7 million re-build? Absolutely not. Again, I voted against it and those for it won out. Seriously, this district is not in “dire need” of a $64.7 million high school but it’s going to get one anyway.
Seems like a lot of money. I think the new Cony high was only around $30 million, and they use it for grades 7 and 8 as well.
You are right Pathfinder, it did go to referendum. I forgot. I did vote against it on the principle that a state so far in debt should not be handing out our money on these projects. At least not until they get their house in order.
I’m sure the school district could have got by until things look brighter. Why does everything today need to be “state-of-the-art”? Back to the three “R”s. That’s what built this country. “State-of-the-art” is what’s bringing it down.
Your correct Mac. They should TEACH and not play tennis.
@Jim Nazium
There is a long laundry list of things at the high school that need to be fixed.
I am not going to argue the price of the school as I am not knowledgeable on that topic. If it was to much what would have been a reasonable price to you?
An example of making do, the town of Dixfield and surrounding communities. I attended their existing high school in 1961-62.