Elmhurst D-205 Expects $16M In Cost Overruns

Elmhurst IL

08 December, 2021

7:39 AM

Description

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst School District 205 is now likely to see $16 million in cost overruns with its slate of building projects so far. That's an increase of about $5 million since the last report. And these expected overruns are even before the district has begun planning a third of the $168 million in projects authorized under a 2018 referendum. With bids coming in last week, the project to demolish and replace Field Elementary School is expected to cost $2 million more, a 5 percent increase. Additionally, improvements and a new media center at Jackson Elementary is slated to cost $1.5 million extra, a 22 percent hike. School board members got the news at their finance committee meeting Tuesday. All the members attended, except President Kara Caforio and Vice President Chris Kocinski. Earlier this year, the board decided to expand Field Elementary to a capacity of 600 students, rather than the current 450. But with the overruns, members contemplated reverting to the smaller design, which reflects current enrollment. But if the board changed the plan, that would mean a year's delay, officials said. Elmhurst School District 205 plans to demolish and replace Field Elementary School, 295 N. Emroy Ave. The project has been slated to begin next summer. (David Giuliani/Patch) The Field project drew 117 bids, with an average of eight bidders per trade. The biggest overruns were for site work, structural steel, precast concrete and roofing. Most of the overruns were attributed to market rates for materials, said Marc Poskin of Elmhurst-based International Contractors Inc., the district's construction manager. But the site work was blamed on the reality that the sole bidder, StormTrap, controls the market. "StormTrap is a very good product. It has a good history," Poskin said. "They know they're good. They price it that way. When you're the only guy in the spec book, that's what happens sometimes." Board members questioned Poskin and others about their options, including whether they should rebid Field. "I don't think rebidding is a good idea," Poskin said. "You have a lot of bidders. You got nearly 120 bidders. That's excellent. That's the market." And Poskin recommended against cutting the project's features. Doing so, he said, would mean a lesser project compared to Lincoln Elementary, which is being rebuilt now. "We don't want to short one school over another," he said. Todd Schmidt, the district's building and grounds director, said the board has no "really good" options. "We're looking to tear down the building and replace it in 12 months," Schmidt said. "If we delay, it could cost us more in the long run potentially." Board member Courtenae Trautmann said it was difficult to make a financial decision when the board lacked all the information it needed. Earlier this year, the board commissioned a demographic study to determine enrollment trends. But she was told it would not be completed until early next year. Trautman said she was not confident that Field needed the extra space. "To say it's going to cost all this extra money, it's a struggle for me," she said. Board member Athena Arvanitis said the district wanted to avoid overbuilding. But she said an expanded Field could provide the district flexibility for Fischer and Emerson elementary schools, which she described as tighter than others. Board members agreed they should think over the Field project for the next week. The board is set to make a decision on Field, Jackson and other projects at its meeting next Tuesday. Many of the cost overruns in the district's referendum spending are the result of increases in the scope of projects since the referendum passed. In previous meetings, officials said they could dip into the district's bank accounts to cover the extra costs.