BY PORTSIA SMITH
The renovation project for Bowling Green Elementary School is back on the drawing board.
The Caroline County School Board voted unanimously at a special meeting Monday to re-bid the project that would renovate and expand the 53-year-old pre-kindergarten through second-grade school into a pre-K through fifth-grade school.
That means the board will have to withdraw from the $10.3 million agreement it had with Ashland contractor A.D. Whittaker.
“I think the re-bid is necessary to ensure we get a good product for the money we have,” said board member Shawn Kelley of the Madison District. “Unfortunately for the students, the main focus of the re-bid was due to the financial restraints imposed upon us. However, our goal of providing an excellent school for the children of Caroline County has not changed.”
A committee of School Board members, principals, teachers and parents met with the architect Wednesday to rework the project and present a plan at the board’s Feb. 13 meeting.
The decision to re-bid was based on a recommendation by Superintendent Greg Killough. He did
not return phone calls Wednesday seeking comment on what happened in the committee meeting.
His goal is to refine the renovation and accept a bid in April that would fit within the $10.5 million budget—the $0.5 million would go toward the architectural firm’s fee.
Last week, the Caroline Board of Supervisors voted 4–2 to add $1.5 million to the $9 million that was already allocated, bringing the total funds available for the project to $10. 5 million.
But that is still $300,000 short of the $10.8 million needed to complete the work that the School Board had agreed on with Whittaker.
Reedy Church District Supervisor Reggie Underwood said he was disappointed in the School Board’s vote.
“I think we worked with them and the contractor to get to a number that was reasonable,” Underwood said. “I just don’t think they understand what we’re up against as far as financing and taxing the citizens of the county. They can tighten their belts like every other department.”
In addition to the $1.5 million recently approved, the supervisors borrowed $3 million last year—adding about 2 cents to the real-estate tax rate for the next 20 years—to contribute to the renovation.
The other $6 million came from federal funds in the form of low-interest bonds from the Virginia Department of Education as part of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The federal stimulus provides funding for consolidating school projects, facilities more than 35 years old and projects in economically stressed areas.
Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419
psmith@fredericksburg.com
