The Clay County School Board will move forward with bids to remove coal residue and asbestos from the Administration Building’s Boiler Room and the system’s old Gymnasium.
Both projects were bid separately, and the two awarded bids combined for an estimated total of $86,000. School Board Member James Mays said the $80,000 difference in bids on the asbestos abatement made him nervous.
“Did they explain to these people what we really expect?” Mays said, “Because I have been involved in some bidding processes where you get some bid that is extremely low and then you come to find out they are thinking something completely different than what we are expecting.”
Technology Supervisor Derick Upchurch said the bidders were aware of the scope of the project after participating in a walkthrough of the facilities alongside the district’s environmental engineer. Upchurch added that the work will be fully funded through a grant the school system identified about two years ago.
“We were exploring some potential grant funding for the window project at Hermitage Springs School, and in that process, we kind of stumbled upon this Brownfield grant that is to look at older properties that may be abandoned or underutilized,” Upchurch said.
Upchurch also noted the project could help address future electrical work in the administration building.
“The big thing for this building is part of the coal, that’s where our electrical comes in,” Upchurch said. “At some point down the road, all those panels and breaker boxes are going to have to be addressed, and that’s going to make the environment safer for whoever does that.”
Upchurch also clarified that the project involves removing hazardous materials, not demolishing the old gym building.
“They’re not actually tearing down the building or any type of that thing,” Upchurch said. “They are just removing what they have to to get the asbestos components out.”
The board ultimately awarded the lowest bids for both projects. Upchurch said the consultant had previously worked with both companies and was confident in their ability to complete the projects.
“He’s done past work with these contractors and said they’re credible and felt comfortable using them to complete this project,” Upchurch said.