Next year, Mount Vernon school district will have a new outdoor activities complex on its campus, just north of the high school.
The school board voted unanimously (7-0) at a special meeting Oct. 12 to approve the low bid for the project.
The winning base bid of $5,500,000, out of 11 bids submitted, came from Larson Construction of Independence, Iowa.
That amount was over $200,000 less than what was listed in the project manual. The engineer’s estimate for the base bid was $5,748,945.
The high bid for the project was $6,537,200. Eight other bids were higher in the $5 million price range than Larson’s. Two bids were in the $6 million range.
Larson also won four of the last five bids in the area, including for the Marion Independent School District this past spring, said superintendent Greg Batenhorst.
Complex ComponentsWhen built, the complex will include a turf field for use by the school district’s cross county, track and field, football, and soccer teams, as well as by the marching band and by physical education classes.
The complex will have an eight-lane track and spaces for field events, including a high jump area, a long jump pit, and throwing areas for the shot put and discus.
The facility will feature a large concessions and restroom building, as well as a building for ticket management along with a dedicated space for selling Mustang merchandise.
There will also be pavilion spaces for people to gather near the entrance to the facility, and adjacent to the concessions building.
The facility will have seating for approximately 1500 people.
Additional parking will be added to what is already available on campus.
A walking trail that will run along the west side of the facility will be lighted, and will connect to other walking trails on the campus and at the adjacent Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center.
Upgrades to the water detention system are also a key part of the project.
Bid alternatesIn addition to all the features above that will be paid for by the winning $5,500,000 base bid for the project, the district also identified four bid alternates totaling $385,000 that will be part of the project.
These alternates include a ticket/merchandise building, a new parking lot addition, a structural spray application added to the track that will increase the lifespan of the track by three to five years, and installation of blank vinyl-coated fencing around the property.
Part of Twenty-year Facilities Vision “This project is a key part of the district’s Twenty-Year Facilities Vision, and provides a facility that will be an important part of campus for decades to come,” said Batenhorst.
“The facility is needed to support the large numbers of students involved in the various activities that will use the facility, and to ensure that the facilities are commensurate with the quality of these programs,” he said.
The district does still plan to use the First Street field for practices and competitions as needed, Batenhorst said.
Project cost and fundingThe entire cost of the project with all fees and equipment included is $6.7 million. The district has already spent $300,000 on fees for the planning process that has been taking place over the past several years. Thus, $6.4 million is left to pay for the project.
The district is using a combination of its own Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) funds, a facilities loan, and private donations to pay for the project, which is scheduled to be completed in the next year.
Batenhorst provided the school board with a financial analysis that supported the district’s ability to complete the project at this time.