B-E school board hears update on expansion project

EVANSVILLE — Construction documents are almost finished for the Brandon-Evansville school expansion project.

The Brandon-Evansville School Board heard an update about the project at its regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 15.

Sean Lewis of ICS Consulting said the construction documents are "99.9% complete at this point, with the exception of some quality control reviews and some last-minute things."

The plans have been submitted to the Department of Labor and Industry for review, as well, and will be revised based on the comments received, Lewis said.

Lewis added that he expects the construction documents to be approved next month, after which time bids will be opened.

Lewis said the plan is to start foundation work in spring 2023, first at Evansville, then Brandon, followed by interior renovations.

The project will be complete in the fall of 2024 according to this plan, Lewis said.

At the Evansville school, two administrative office spaces will be renovated and turned into classrooms, a drive-through lane will be added, as well as two new classrooms, a new multi-use space and an administrative office suite, Lewis said.

At the Brandon school, there will be a new gymnasium, administrative suite, entry, restrooms and more classroom space, among other changes, Lewis said.

The current work on the project — the demolition of the 1917 Evansville structure — is scheduled to wrap up this week, he said.

"I can comfortably say it went really well," Lewis said.

One area that will have to be monitored is inflation, which is causing 15-35% increases in projects budgeted last year, Lewis said.

"We are working on options," he said. "We have oversight committee Thursday afternoon to really dive into the details of those options."

Some potential decisions based on those options will be presented at the next board meeting, Lewis said.