Bond - Midway ISD

https://wacotrib.com/news/local/education/midway-isd-seeing-3-3m-surplus-as-148m-bond-projects-enter-home-stretch/article_35decf2c-7289-11ed-8949-df29f73cbf4e.html Midway ISD seeing $3.3M surplus as $148M bond projects enter home stretch idway Independent School District is entering the last phase of a $148 million slate of voter-approved bond projects and expects to have $3.3 million left over when everything is complete in August. The bond approved in 2019 funded the new Park Hill Elementary School and renovations and expansions at Midway High School, Midway Middle School, Woodway Elementary School and the schools now known as River Valley Middle School and Chapel Park Elementary School. The work, designed to accommodate the district's rapid enrollment growth, also came with a redrawing of attendance zones and a shift away from intermediate schools. Elementary schools took in the intermediate schools' fifth graders, and middle schools took in sixth graders. Most of the projects have come in under budget, despite the challenges of the pandemic and inflation, and the construction program has generally been able to get supplies when they were needed, Midway construction manager Buddy Freeman said. "We were really, I guess you could probably say lucky on the timing on this whole bond issue because we were a little ahead of the curve on inflation," Freeman said. He said the Midway ISD board as early as this month will discuss how to spend the estimated $3.3 million in remaining bond revenue. The district is now down to its last bond-funded project, the second phase of renovation at Midway Middle School, set to wrap up in August. In all, the middle school will see $19.4 million of work, with 115,000 square feet of renovated space. It is the project with the biggest increase in spending from the original plan, which called for $13.2 million in work there. Midway Middle School moved operations to its newly renovated wings over Thanksgiving break, keeping the same class schedules but changing classroom locations to use new facilities and clear the remaining areas for construction, district spokesperson Traci Marlin said. Marlin said teachers and students have been using every inch of space available while the renovation is ongoing, repurposing a former dance room as classroom space and holding two classes in the new collaboration spaces, which are as large as two classrooms. "The new wings have been mostly completed. There's still a lot of punch list items left to go," Marlin said. "Everyone's being real troupers to make it through." Freeman said the Midway Middle School and Chapel Park Elementary projects mark his first experience with full renovations of campuses that were in use during construction. But he said the finished product will be worth the trouble. "That was new for me, and yes it was a challenge," he said. "We just keep reminding the ones on that campus that the end will justify the means, just stay with us six or seven more months." The projects funded by the 2019 bond issue enabled the district's major rezoning this past summer, by converting the expanded River Valley Intermediate School into a middle school and turning Woodgate Intermediate School into Chapel Park Elementary, and adding the new Park Hill Elementary, the only new construction project. Marlin said the rezoning required careful planning and timing to accommodate construction during the school year. The bond-funded building campaign began in November 2020 with work at Midway High School. The work included improvements to the high school's existing science wing and a brand-new career and technology education wing, which houses a robotics lab, a health science lab, a graphic design studio and many other technical learning spaces. The Midway High School expansion ended up costing $22.8 million, compared to the budgeted $31.5 million, officials said. The next major bond-funded project was the expansion of River Valley Middle School, which started in January 2021 and wrapped up in time for the start of the 2022 school year, Freeman said. The 88,000-square-foot renovation brought the school's capacity from 750 students to 1,300, adding room for the former intermediate school to accommodate sixth, seventh and eighth graders. The $33.5 million project was budgeted at $43.1 million. Marlin said the renovations nearly doubled the school's size, adding classrooms, labs and collaborative spaces. The timing of the River Valley project went hand in hand with the timing for Midway Middle and the district's rezoning, Marlin said. The expanded facility allowed more of the student population to shift to the finished River Valley campus for this school year, freeing up more space at Midway Middle to make construction during the school year possible. Next came the construction of Park Hill Elementary, a 105,000-square-foot building on Ritchie Road that has a capacity of 750 students. The brand-new facility wound up as the most expensive bond item, budgeted at $38.5 million, but it came in at $37.8 million. Park Hill features a library at the heart of the school, which overlooks an outdoor amphitheater from ceiling-high windows. The building incorporates natural lighting and non-traditional furniture that allows for flexibility and movement. Freeman said including some off-site sewer work, sidewalks and other various projects, Park Hill cost about $307 per square foot, much less than estimates he has heard from colleagues attempting to carry out similar projects. "I think if we bid that project out today it would come out to about $400 per square foot," he said. The conversion of Woodgate Intermediate into Chapel Park Elementary School, the final project leading up to Midway Middle School, is the only completed project that went over budget, Freeman said. The transformation with a $13.1 million budget started in May 2021 and wound up costing about $15.8 million. "Woodgate converting to Chapel Park was a little over budget because we added to the scope, did some things outside to dress it up," Freeman said. The Chapel Park project was another that required some creativity to complete construction during the school year. The district's solution for the facility, which would go from housing fifth and sixth grade to kindergarten through fifth, was to retain sixth graders at Woodgate amid construction while its feeder elementary schools absorbed fifth grade earlier than the rest of the district's elementary schools. This set the stage for the district's rezoning to take place after Chapel Park was finished, with two functional middle schools and eight elementary schools. Freeman said an additional $15.5 million of bond money went to fund various other projects: Replacing geothermal units at Midway High School and Woodway Elementary Replacing climate control units at River Valley and Midway Middle School Developing the Horizons campus, the district's alternative campus, as well as an area for district professional development and a technology center. The initial proposal included a slightly different list of smaller projects, and a smaller budget of about $8.6 million. Though the construction process has been long, Freeman said seeing the projects come to fruition has been rewarding. "I have thoroughly enjoyed the projects and getting to oversee the construction," he said. "That's part of the business that I love." ___________________________ As of August 19, 2019, the Midway Independent School District board has approved issuing $148 million bond issue to be voted in November 5, 2019. The bond proposal is for construction of a new elementary school in Hewitt, addition and conversion at River Valley to convert it to a 6th - 8th grade middle school, addition at Midway High School to expand Career & Technical Education (CTE) facilities and create additional student capacity, conversion of Woodgate to become a PreK - 5th grade elementary school, renovations and upgrades to Midway Middle School. Other plans call for HVAC system replacements, roof replacements, upgrade to technology facility and data center. Pending bond approval.

Division 03 -	Concrete, Concrete Forming and Accessories, Concrete Forming, Concrete Reinforcing, Cast-in-Place Concrete, Precast Concrete.
Division 04 -	Masonry, Unit Masonry.
Division 05 -	Metals, Structural Metal Framing, Steel Joist Framing, Metal Fabrications.
Division 06 -	Wood, Plastics, and Composites, Rough Carpentry, Finish Carpentry, Millwork.
Division 07 -	Thermal and Moisture Protection, Dampproofing and Waterproofing, Thermal Protection.
Division 08 -	Openings, Doors and Frames, Metal Doors and Frames, Specialty Doors and Frames, Entrances, Storefronts, and Curtain Walls, Entrances and Storefronts, Windows, Hardware, Mirrors, Vents.
Division 09 -	Finishes, Plaster and Gypsum Board, Tiling, Ceilings, Acoustical Ceilings, Flooring, Resilient Flooring, Carpeting, Painting.
Division 10 -	Specialties, Visual Display Units, Chalkboards, Markerboards, Tackboards, Signage, Compartments and Cubicles, Toilet Compartments, Shower and Dressing Compartments, Toilet, Bath, and Laundry Accessories, Toilet Accessories, Emergency Aid Specialties, Fire Protection Specialties, Fire Protection Cabinets, Fire Extinguishers, Lockers, Flagpoles.
Division 11 -	Equipment, Foodservice Equipment, Foodservice Storage Equipment, Food Preparation Equipment, Food Delivery Carts and Conveyors, Food Cooking Equipment, Food Dispensing Equipment, Service Line Equipment, Ice Machines, Cleaning and Disposal Equipment, Educational and Scientific Equipment, Library Equipment, Audio-Visual Equipment, Laboratory Equipment, Athletic and Recreational Equipment, Play Field Equipment and Structures.
Division 12 -	Furnishings, Window Treatments, Casework, Countertops, Furniture, Office Furniture, Institutional Furniture, Classroom Furniture, Multiple Seating.
Division 21 -	Fire Suppression, Instrumentation and Control for Fire-Suppression Systems, Fire-Extinguishing Systems.
Division 22 -	Plumbing, Common Work Results for Plumbing, Instrumentation and Control for Plumbing, Plumbing Piping, Facility Water Distribution, Facility Sanitary Sewerage, Facility Storm Drainage, Plumbing Equipment, Plumbing Fixtures, Commercial Plumbing Fixtures, Drinking Fountains and Water Coolers.
Division 23 -	Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Common Work Results for HVAC, HVAC Insulation, Instrumentation and Control for HVAC, HVAC Air Distribution, Ventilation Hoods, Commercial-Kitchen Hoods.
Division 25 -	Integrated Automation.
Division 26 -	Electrical, Instrumentation and Control for Electrical Systems, Power Distribution Units, Lighting, Interior Lighting, Emergency Lighting, Exit Signs, Exterior Lighting.
Division 27 -	Communications, Common Work Results for Communications, Structured Cabling, Data Communications, Voice Communications, Audio-Video Communications, Audio-Video Systems, Integrated Audio-Video Systems and Equipment, Integrated Audio-Video Systems and Equipment for Classrooms, Distributed Communications and Monitoring Systems, Distributed Audio-Video Communications Systems, Paging Systems, Public Address Systems.
Division 28 -	Electronic Safety and Security, Common Work Results for Electronic Safety and Security, Electronic Access Control and Intrusion Detection, Electronic Detection and Alarm, Fire Detection and Alarm.
Division 31 -	Earthwork, Common Work Results for Earthwork, Site Clearing, Grading, Excavation and Fill, Earthwork Methods, Soil Treatment.
Division 32 -	Exterior Improvements, Bases, Ballasts, and Paving, Flexible Paving, Asphalt Paving, Rigid Paving, Concrete Paving, Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks, and Driveways, Paving Specialties, Parking Bumpers, Speed Bumps, Pavement Markings, Athletic and Recreational Surfacing, Fences and Gates, Irrigation, Planting, Turf and Grasses.
Division 33 -	Utilities, Water Utilities, Sanitary Sewerage Utilities, Storm Drainage Utilities, Electrical Utilities, Communications Utilities.