Unit 40 Board Contracts for Roof Work, Other Health/Life Safety Projects at Central, EHS

A contract totaling $5,475,222 was awarded Thursday by the Effingham Unit 40 Board of Education to GRP Mechanical to oversee health and life safety work at Central Grade School and Effingham High School.

The award of the contract is contingent on the State Board of Education approving the list of proposed projects for health and life safety funding. That approval should come within the next week or so.

Our Greg Sapp talked with Unit 40 Superintendent Mark Doan after the meeting about what happens from here?...

The key decision for the Board beyond whether to proceed with the project was what type of roof should replace the existing roof on the high school building. The decision was to go with a fully adhered roof, although it will cost close to $200,000 more than another option considered.

Unit 40 Assistant Superintendent Rem Woodruff said, "If you're asking me what to do, if I had a vote, I'd go with the fully adhered roof." Woodruff said he researched the other roof option, and found it came recommended by others who have good reputations in the roofing business, but said he knows the fully adhered roof and that's what he recommended. The previous three roofs the district has placed on buildings have been the fully adhered roofs. 

Board members Carol Ruffner and Jane Willenborg were in favor of saving money and using the other roof style, Ruffner saying she could see where else that $200,000 in savings could be used. The other members present, Todd Schafer, Steve Bone and Brian Wick, favored the fully adhered option, going with Woodruff's recommendation.

Other components of the project will include window replacement at Central, some flooring replacement at Central, replacement of the HVAC system at EHS and installation of air conditioning in the gyms at EHS.

Superintendent Mark Doan said substantial completion of the project is due September 15, meaning the project will be finished after the next school year begins, but the feeling is the situation can be worked out.

The district plans to sell its own bonds to finance the work, with the bonds being paid off once property tax revenue is received.

The Board Thursday also expelled three students; two through the end of the current school year, and one through the first semester of the 2017-18 school year. Ruffner and Willenborg voted No on one of the expulsions through the end of this year, and Ruffner abstained from the vote on the student expelled through the first semester of the 17-18 year.