Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

District Interviews Architects

Three hopefuls tossed their hats into the ring as possible architects for the new Gurdon Middle School.

The architects, John Sanders of Camden; Odom and Associates of Little Rock; and Twin Rivers of Arkadelphia, met with the Gurdon School Board Tuesday, March 18, during the board's regular meeting.

Sanders, Darrel Odom and Jerry Simmons, all made their pitches hoping they would be selected to design the new middle school, a 23,000 square foot project.

Sanders and Odom said they could do the project for 6 percent, while Simmons said their fee would be 4 percent of the construction cost.

There were other differences in their offers as well.

Sanders went before the board first, telling about himself, his background and experience at building schools.

Sanders has built schools in Hope, Cedarville, Murfreesboro, Prescott, Mt. Ida and Caddo Hills, along with Genoa Central and Dierks.

He told the board the Cedarville project was constructed for less than $50 per square foot.

Sanders built a gym at Caddo Hills, recently finished the Murfreesboro Elementary School, and has done three projects for Genoa in the last two years.

In Dierks, he said, the entire school was constructed under one roof, including a new gymnasium, where the Class A regional basketball tournament was held recently. This project, the board was told, cost that district $52 per square foot.

Hope's elementary school, on the other hand, came in for $35 per square, he said, adding this was for the entire completed project.

And, he told the board, Prescott's soil is much like the soil in Gurdon, an expansive clay which swells when wet and shrinks when dry. In Prescott, Sanders built the addition to the elementary school.

When questioned as to the possible cost for building a new GMS, Sanders said it could be as much as $60 per square foot, as prices are going up. However, he pointed out, the final costs will depend on many factors.

Gurdon School District Superintendent Bobby Smithson said the district can't make a final decision until the Arkansas Department of Education meets and makes a determination on second lien bonds. This, he said, will be done in April.

Sanders told the panel the project could be ready for bid in a couple of weeks, while he would need about two months to execute the necessary documentation. Additionally, he said, it would take six to eight weeks to get the plans drawn and ready, and about six months to actually build the new school.

"You could move in by mid-term," he said, "depending on the weather."

He also said he would work closely with teachers and administrators on the design as they will be the ones working in the school daily. In fact, he told the board, this is one of his normal recommendations.

Smithson asked if he would quit the project should the district want to move the location of the facility during the design phase.

"I work for you," Sanders said. "I may ask you to move it."

He suggested the board go see other projects he's been involved with, telling them his designs are "straight-line simple, practical designs."

"I've been successful at getting in on budget," he said. "If you hire me, I want the authority to do the job and not be overruled. If you hire me, use me."

Sanders was followed by Odom, who gave a slide show to the board, showing work done at Lake Hamilton High School in Pearcy, near Hot Springs.

Odom informed the panel his firm has been involved with school projects in Centerpoint, Magnet Cove and Lake Hamilton, while being responsible for building a church in Texarkana.

While the Odom firm has only been around for five years, he said he has done more than 250 school projects during his career, spanning 21 years.

Other school projects Odom has been involved with include: Cushman, Danville, Greenbrier, Maryflower and Quapaw Technical College in Malvern.

Odom said he favors sloping roofs for schools as they give attic space for storage, mechanical and electrical equipment. In addition, he said, the attics help make the building quieter overall.

And, he said, the drop plank concrete ceilings used offer protection during severe weather.

Odom said the Lake Hamilton project cost less than $41 per square foot to construct.

In addition, he said, the firm did an eight-room addition to the Lake Hamilton Middle School, creating a greenhouse for science projects.

The Centerpoint project, he said, had an 11 month construction period and consisted of four wings.

These wings were for the junior and senior high, a gym and cafetorium.

The board was told he would do the project for 6 percent of the construction cost, which includes the engineering work on the slab.

Odom said it would take his firm about 45 days to draw the plans, working with the GMS staff. He said it would take between eight and 10 months to build the school, hoping it would cost less than $50 per square foot.

Jerry Simmons and Robert Birchfield spoke for Twin River.

Birchfield said the firm has been in Arkadelphia for 10 years and wants to work for the GSD.

While the firm has not actually built a school, he said, it has done work for Henderson State University and has the contract to rebuild the Emmet gymnasium. In addition, Twin Rivers has done some work at SAU-Tech in Camden.

Overall, he said, the firm does between $8 and $12 million in design and construction documentation per year across Arkansas.

Simmons said the firm has four full-time employees and recently did a job for the Gurdon Housing Authority, as well as building the new Gurdon daycare.

He said Twin Rivers designed an apartment complex behind Dan Cooks, along with churches and had the contract for the annexation of the Clark County Courthouse before the tornado hit.

"We have a broad range of experience," he said, "but haven't done any middle schools. We have done work with school related projects and are familiar with the rules and regulations."

Simmons said there would be no problem with his firm designing a middle school to match Gurdon High School, especially because the district has the plans used for GHS.

In fact, matching GHS would be easy, he told the panel.

Simmons said Twin Rivers could do the project for 4 percent, though it normally charges 6 percent. The fee would include paying the engineer. Seismic design earthquake plans, he said, would cost extra.

The board was told plans could be done in 60 to 90 days, with the costs running $50-60 per square foot.

Depending on the weather, Simmons said, the project could be completed in six to nine months.

Smithson recommended the board visit projects each firm has been involved with before making its decision, and meet again in special session Tuesday, April 1.