Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

GPS Starts Late; Roof Bids Too High

Students at Gurdon Primary School got a couple of extra days of summer vacation because of work being done at GPS.

The Gurdon School Board, during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, Aug. 17, agreed to the two extra days so the teachers could get their rooms ready after the construction.

Construction at GPS has been going on much of the summer, as part of the renovations being done after a millage increase was approved for the measure last year.

Wayne Trull, with Trull Architects, was on hand to speak to the board about the construction going on.

He said bids for a new roof at GPS were taken, but the low bid was for $439,000, which is well over what was budgeted for the project.

Alternatives were given, which brought the price down by about $30,000, but the bid was still considerably out of line with the budget.

However, Trull had a suggestion for the board. First, he recommended the board refuse all bids, as they were more costly than the project's budget allowed.

Next, allow his firm to do the work.

Terry Hughes, with the Trull firm, said they would use wood trusses and 24-gauge standing seam steel on the roof. The district, he said, would save $8,000 alone if it went to a 26- gauge instead of using the heavier metal.

Trull said this would look identical to the roofs at Gurdon High and Cabe Middle schools, though different materials would be used.

The trusses, he said, call for five foot centers with 5/8 inch plywood decking. Using this method, a lighter metal can be used for the actual roof.

Hughes crunched numbers for the board, saying the project could be done for a total of $333,072. This figure includes 8 percent for the architect fee.

This method, Trull pointed out, would have the load spread out and actually be lighter than the other roofs.

Ferrell Nelson, also with the Trull firm, told the board $518,000 has been spent on GPS renovations as of Aug. 12, with another $54,000 needed to finish the work remaining.

Air conditioning costs were more than expected as several coils had to be replaced.

The total cost of renovating GPS, including the roof, Nelson said, will be about $907,000.

Hughes said it would take about three months to install the new roof at GPS, as "we don't want to put a lot of people there because of the kids." The firm, he said, has done work like this before.

Gurdon Superintendent Bobby Smithson said this has to be done, but suggested the board go through the budget before accepting or rejection Trull's proposition.

"We feel comfortable with this price," Nelson said, "and not going above this quote. It could cost less. We'll do what we can to save money."

There had been talk of delaying the start of school at GPS until after Labor Day, but Nelson said this wasn't necessary.

Staying on the topic of construction, Smithson gave the board an update on what else was going on around the district.

The field house and concession stand are almost done at the new stadium, he said, with the seating for the bleachers coming in Friday afternoon.

It will take about a week to install the seats, he said. The bleachers should be ready by Sept. 10, when the Devils have their first home game of the season, host the Lake Village Beavers.

The press box is in place and needs to be painted, while the clock and scoreboard need to be installed at the new field. The parking lot needs to be striped as well.

Once the seats are in place, the sidewalks at the new facility can be finished as the handicap ramps will determine where the sidewalks end.

In discussing the budget, Smithson said assessments increased about $2 million for the year because of improvements done by International Paper Co.

The current millage rate, he said, is 36 mill in the district. This is up from 33 mill last year because of the election.

Smithson predicted about $1.5 million in local revenue, with most of the figures based on a 90 percent collection of taxes in the county. Overall, the district could expect a total budget of $4.8 million for the year.

With this in mind, he said, after all the other expenses are budgeted in, the district should have about $61,376 not dedicated, along with $118,000 for raises to certified and non-certified personnel.

With the $250,000 budgeted for the roof at GPS, and the $61,000 left from the overall budget, this would be enough to get the job done.

These figures also include the district maintaining a 10 percent contingency fee.

He also told the board the new track can't be installed until the district is paid for the old Gurdon High School facility. This money, he said, will be used to surface the track.

Turning to the topic of the September school election, Smithson said Jesse Runyan and Charles Hatley are the two members who's terms are up this time.

There is a problem with Runyan, he said, as since the 9-1-1 survey, his home is no longer in the district he's been serving in.

Smithson has spoken with the Arkansas School Board Association (ASBA), and gave the board two options. One, Runyan can continue serving as long as no one runs for the seat in this zone, or, he could resign and run for the seat in zone 14, where he actually lives.

"I'd planned to run," Runyan said, "and would like to serve another term."

Smithson said the seat in zone 14 will come up on an annual basis until someone runs for it and is duly elected. In the meantime, Runyan can continue serving on a year-to-year basis.

Following an executive session, the board hired David Rynge as a half-time biology teacher, and promoted Cathy McDonald to assistant supervisor in the GHS lunchroom.