The expansions of four more Bryan school district campuses approved by voters in a bond issue two years ago were approved at the last school board meeting.
A local contractor, Dudley Construction, was awarded nearly $12 million dollars of work.
One contract, for $8,896,144, covers the expansion of Rayburn and Long…which are being turned into fifth and sixth grade campuses…and Mitchell elementary.
The original estimate was just under $8.3 million dollars. The district’s construction manager, Jeff Windsor, says the additional money is to replace aging air conditioning systems.
Windsor told WTAW News new 350 ton chillers will be installed at both Long and Rayburn, replacing units that are over 17 years old and are at the end of their life. Two new chillers at Mitchell would replace the one old chiller, and the control system will be upgraded. Windsor says this “would have to be done within a couple of years anyway so to change them now saved us money for installation but also in energy savings to the district’s utility budget.”
Windsor says this project also includes more classrooms, new security vestibules, replacing the carpet and installing tile on the corridor walls (to eliminate drywall damage) at Mitchell, renovate athletic locker rooms at Rayburn and Long to become “kick start” classrooms due to our re-alignment, add glass store front to close in the cafeterias at Long and Rayburn, and install some much needed parking at Rayburn.
Dudley also received a $2,794,000 contract at Rudder High School. That includes an expansion to the cafeteria to connect it to the main building, a new security vestibule, and reworking the main stairs to widen the distance between them at the first floor main corridor.
In a third vote, the board approved a design contract for what is expected to be a $500,000 dollar conversion of an existing building for the grounds department.