After experiencing months of issues with Tarrant Roofing, the Whitesboro School Board unanimously voted to terminate its contract with the company who has been working on the Early Childhood Center (ECC), new auditorium and Career & Technical Education buildings.
Representatives from the construction company that has been working with Tarrant Roofing cited problems with obtaining materials as well as personnel issues. While they said it’s usually best to make it through project completion with a contractor, these issues plus a recent unfavorable report at the ECC (where a recent roofing leak occurred) indicate potential long-term issues for the school district.
“It’s time to make a change,” they said.
The bonding company is responsible for hiring the project contractors, and the board authorized its president to move forward with contract termination.
At the same meeting, the board also discussed other construction updates regarding bond projects.
Superintendent Ryan Harper brought forth two potential change orders to project plans.
The first pertained to the multi-purpose building, wherein he recommended an external turf yard on the south side of the building be used for fenced-in volleyball courts and a putting green. The space would be for student and public use, when available.
The total cost would be $727,901, money that is already allocated to that building. The board approved the change order.
The second change order was to completely enclose the weight room. After discussions that included humidity levels and different groups using that building at the same time, it became evident that the weight room would need to be fully enclosed with air conditioning.
While the space would have the same footprint as originally planned, the space wasn’t designed to hold the weight of walls. The redesign would include new foundation footing and walls, 14-foot-tall ceilings with space for HVAC and an IT rack and three windows facing the field for visual presence.
The entire project was bid at $1.2 million. Trustee Aaron Park balked at the price.
“This number seems insane,” he said. “I completely agree that the work needs to be done, but this number looks crazy. I can’t in good conscience spend that on a box.”
Architect company representatives understood the concern, but said the numbers were on par with today’s costs.
“It’s close to what I would have expected,” they said.
The board took time to brainstorm possible solutions, ranging from changing the ceiling and adding support columns to utilizing fillers. Ultimately the board decided they wanted to see drawings and explore areas where they might be able to cut costs.
“We’re not saying that what the company has proposed is wrong,” trustee Eddie Wood said. “We just want to be good stewards of the money we’re entrusted.”
The board took no action on this second change order and will await more information from the architects.
Projects are on track to be completed at the first part of January as expected.
