The Everett School Board last night promised new running tracks will be ready this fall for Cascade and Jackson high schools. Here’s the release from Mary Waggoner at Everett School District
New Cascade and Jackson high schools tracks a “go” for summer construction
School board awards bid, credits community for project advocacy and collaboration
Design work for fields continues at Cascade; Jackson collaborating with city of Mill Creek
“I am pleased today that we are in a position to approve the construction of new tracks at Cascade and Jackson high schools,” said School Board Vice President Ed Petersen.
He was speaking at the Tuesday evening board meeting when the board awarded the tracks’ construction contract bid to A-1 Landscaping and Construction, Inc. The Snohomish County company submitted a base bid of $982,645 to have synthetic tracks in place at Cascade and Jackson high schools for fall 2012. Based upon that bid, the final construction cost, including sales tax, fees, permits, testing, inspection, project oversight and potential change orders, is estimated at $1,375,645.
Petersen itemized why this bid award is “good news.”
First and foremost, we aspire for excellence in all our facilities and programs, and these tracks need improvement.
Second, we want our athletes to perform to high levels, and we believe these tracks help our student athletes thrive.
Third, community input was valuable in helping us identify the need and evaluate the importance of the tracks in the context of all the other challenges within the district’s capital budget.
Fourth, the bids came in under the estimated cost, which means we are getting a good bang for the public’s buck.
“I also so appreciate the involvement and patience of the community members we have worked with leading up to this point.” Petersen said.
He and the other three board members attending the May 8 meeting discussed the balancing act ahead as the district continues to look at all of the capital needs of the district. As Petersen emphasized, “We have 30 buildings and many fields and playgrounds, each of which serves a vital purpose toward helping students achieve to high standards. The board must keep the whole district and all of its facilities in mind as we plan capital projects.” Petersen added, “Having the bids come in under budget helps position us for the next stage of capital planning.”
“As we committed months ago to these two school communities, we are continuing with or supporting work toward more extensive athletic complexes at both schools,” emphasized Superintendent Cohn. “We are about 10 percent done with the preliminary design process for Cascade fields. That design work will speed up the field-building process in the future.”
Cohn also explained that the city of Mill Creek and Jackson are considering sharing design costs to construct fields that would be jointly owned and managed by the district and the city. “This joint use has the benefit of joint funding,” emphasized Cohn. “We may know more about that joint project status in July.”
Student board representative Darren Pouv from Cascade High School was also very happy to learn that the Cascade track will be completed by next fall. As one of two student representatives on the board, Pouv has spoken with many of his peers during the months this project has been under discussion.
A-1 Landscaping and Construction will be joined on the project by subcontractor Beynon Sports Surfaces. A-1 has been in business for 25 years and has done numerous projects for school districts and cities in Snohomish and King counties. They have two projects in process for Snohomish County – Tambark Creek Park and Willis Tucker Park. In the past, A-1 has done work for the district at Woodside, Jackson and Jefferson elementaries and North and Eisenhower middle schools.
May 9, 2012
Everett