Nielsen Builders Harrisonburg Virginia

Daily News Record
May 26, 2007

Page School Bids 'In The Ballpark'

Board Receives $25M Bids on New PCHS

By Jamie Turner

Luray - School officials let out a sigh of relief last week when they opened bids for the construction of a new Page County High School.
The three bids came in around $25 million, a target school officials had hoped for.
Nielsen Construction of Harrisonburg was the low bidder at $25.2 million. The remaining bids were within 1.5 percent of the figure, with Howard Shockey and Sons of Winchester submitting a bid of $25.3 million, and Caldwell and Santmyer of Berryville at $25.6 million.
"We are in the ballpark," said Randy Thomas, Page Schools superintendent.

Site Work Under Way
Work at the new high school already has begun behind the existing Page County High School. Jones Site Work of Fredericksburg is expected to complete its part of the project by September.
"This was a relief to know that we are close to the numbers we need," said School Board Chairwoman Sharon Lucas. "We plan to begin negotiations with Nielsen this week and hopefully sign a contract in the next few weeks."
This is the second time the Page County School Board has bid the construction projects.
In February, the board bid both the construction of a new Luray High School and Page County High School together. School officials were stunned when the actual cost estimates came in between $59 million and $64 million.
The Page County Board of Supervisors agreed to fund $56 million.

Projects Pared Back
Since then, the School Board, along with its architects, Fanning/Howey Associates of Northern Virginia, revised the construction plans to lower costs. The school board cut out about $9 million from its original bid package.
"We did not cut any square feet off the two 123,644-square foot buildings," Thomas said. "What we have cut is some of the aesthetics. Nothing has been taken out... will effect instruction.
The two projects were put back out to bid in April.
School officials first put the site work at PCHS out to bid and then the construction of a new Luray High School planned on an 88-acre tract off Leaksville Road in Luray are due Thursday.

New LHS Bids Next Week
The School Board is hoping that the LHS construction bids also will come in around $25 million. The site work at LHS is expected to be slightly higher than Page's $1.4 million.
"I think things will be close at the LHS site, too," said Lucas. "Finally, after all this time, something is going to happen."
Page County Board of Supervisors Chairman Tommy LaFrance was pleasantly surprised when he received the news last week.
"I was very pleased that the bids came in with a lot better numbers," LaFrance said.
When asked if the county feels funding these two projects is possible, he said, "It looks like it is."
Once the bids for LHS are awarded, site work will begin on the Leaksville Road property. Construction on the two high school buildings is expected this fall.
The target date for opening the two new schools is fall 2009.

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