The Hinsdale High School District 86 Board awarded more than $5 million in bids last week for the final phase of the $140 million renovation project voters approved in an April 2019 referendum.
The bids include most of the work to renovate and upgrade 89 classrooms at Hinsdale Central next summer.
The nine bids awarded at the Nov. 17 meeting are for
• electrical work, $2.8 million
• flooring, $519,000
• general trades, $396,500
• demolition, $355,225
• acoustical ceiling, $306,475
• drywall and rough carpentry, $264,000
• masonry, $248,900
• painting and coating, $168,240
The bids came in at $6.3 million, about $400,000 higher than the $5.9 million budget. As a result, the board rejected all bids related to fire suppression (low bid $111,950) and HVAC/temperature control ($958,000).
The scope of work will be adjusted to align with the budget and the packages will be re-bid, board President Erik Held said. The district expects to spend $37,000 for fire protection and $25,000 for HVAC, according to a document from Pepper Construction. If those bids come in as anticipated, the project will be $224,000 under budget.
Board member Jeff Waters assured residents that Hinsdale Central will be “more than in compliance” with state fire codes.
“This was an upgrade,” he said.
Once the HVAC and fire suppression are re-bid, the district will have issued all bids for hard construction costs, according to Josh Stephenson, chief financial officer.
The board has awarded almost 100 bids in nine phases for the $140 million project.
“The only remaining items that may need to be bid would be soft costs for phase 4 (e.g. moving services),” Stephenson wrote in an email. Work on the classrooms will be completed next summer.
