$891,131 contract awarded for Cascade school upgrade

September 15, 2009|By DAN DEARTH

HAGERSTOWN -- The Washington County Board of Education on Tuesday awarded an $891,131 contract to Rockwell Construction Co. of Mercersburg, Pa., to upgrade classrooms at Cascade Elementary School.

Rockwell Construction submitted the lowest of 14 bids.

The project will include asbestos abatement, duct work and the installation of new classroom heat-pump units, according to Washington County Public Schools documents. The school was built in 1965.

Lisa Freeman, supervisor of purchasing for Washington County Public Schools, said the project will be paid for using a $1 million donation made last spring by PenMar Development Corp.

The contract specifies that work will begin as soon as a notice to proceed is issued to the contractor.

Freeman said a substantial portion of the work has to be completed by July 31, 2010. If that doesn't happen, she said, Rockwell Construction will have to pay $500 per calendar day until the contract is satisfied.

Traci Coldsmith, project manager for Washington County Public Schools, said after the meeting the school will be divided into a construction wing and a classroom wing during construction to prevent students from being disturbed.

Other bids submitted were:

o Eagle Construction, Greencastle, Pa., $962,500

o Warner Construction, Frederick, Md., $983,042

o GRC General Contractor Inc., Zullinger, Pa., $989,323

o Waynesboro Construction, Waynesboro, Pa., $992,600

o Callas Contractors Inc., Hagerstown, $1 million

o Milton Stamper Builders, Hagerstown, $1.01 million

o Building Systems, Hagerstown, $1.04 million

o Minghini's General Contractors, Martinsburg, W.Va., $1.05 million

o Keller Bros., Mount Airy, Md., $1.09 million

o Caldwell & Santmyer Inc., Berryville, Va., $1.14 million

o Therrien Waddell Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., $1.16 million