New Building Estimates

Are Encouraging for RUHS Bd.

By Sandy Cooch

The Randolph Union High School board, in the midst of planning for a $10-million bond issue for needed repairs at the high school and technical center, got some good news at last week’s meeting.

Building committee members Andy Becker and Mike van Dyke reported that new estimates being collected are coming in lower than those made last spring by a team of estimators from a large construction firm.

Some of the estimates from specialists in roofing, electrical, and other fields are coming in 20-40% less than the first estimates, Becker said.

Project manager Grant Fleming, Becker added, believes that a complex re-roofing project, which will require the construction of new roof supports in some areas, will be under the prior $4.2-million estimate.

According to van Dyke, it also appears that some of the upgrades recommended by Dore & Whittier Architects can be accomplished by simpler and cheaper solutions than initially suggested.

This summer, faced with total project estimates that ranged from $14.8 million to $23 million, the RUHS board drew a line in the sand and said it would aim to cap project costs at $10 million.

Last Wednesday, building committee member van Dyke said he was "very comfortable that $10 million is a realistic number."

Becker and van Dyke said the committee will pull together all estimates in the next month, and then would interview architectural firms.

No date has been set for a bond vote.

Immediate Needs

However, the board did agree last week to move immediately on one upgrade that will save the school $1400 per month in electrical bills, and considered another one with safety and program ramifications.

Principal Holmes reported that an electrician who had been helping develop the new estimates pointed out that a daily spike in electrical use—when all the kitchen equipment is turned on—was producing a costly "spike" in demand.

Since the school’s electrical bill is based on peak consumption, phasing in the demand would produce instant savings, the consulting contractor said.

The board agreed to expend up to $30,000 for the installation of a $25,000 leveling device that phases in equipment automatically. The pay-back on the investment would be less than two years, it was noted.

The board also discussed, but took no action, on the need to install a new dimmer/electrical control system in Murray Auditorium.

Drama coach Brian Rainville noted that the system, which has been problematic for a year, had failed again during the last play performance.

Rainville urged the board to act as soon as possible. Because of technical limitations and safety risks, he told the board, he made the decision to cancel the state drama festival at RUHS and he had shut down the system.

Rainville said the needed "dimmer" system would cost $41,500, and that he was still collecting estimates on installation costs, which would be considerable.

The board agreed to further discuss the matter in January, when installation estimates are available.

RUHS Principal Holmes said this week that he is hopeful that there may still be a less costly solution to the auditorium’s electrical problems.

The auditorium and stage lights were back in service this week, after a new "program card" from the manufacturer of the dimmer system was installed, he noted. With the new card, Holmes said, some components of the lighting that had not been working, were suddenly working again.

That allowed Murray to be used Monday night as the site of the district holiday concert. However, it became clear in the course of the evening that there were still some problems, Holmes said.

He, Rainville, and RUHS maintenance supervisor Mike Lonergan continue to work on the issue, Holmes said.

"The cost-efficient, hopeful person inside of me doesn’t want to buy a new system," he said.

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