High costs put new ag, art building on the back burner

RANDOLPH — The rising cost of building materials has forced the Randolph Public Schools to forego any work on a new Vocational Agriculture and Arts building - at least right now.

The Randolph School Board tabled any action on the project at its meeting Monday after representatives from the school’s building and grounds committee recapped the opening of bids last week. Board Member Cody Backer joined by technology only and was excused from the meeting.

The school only received one bid from Otte Construction of Wayne with a bid for the first phase of the project at almost $2.5 million and for the second phase, nearly $1.5 million.

Built in the late 1960s, the two existing Ag buildings total 7,900 square feet and were not built to house the current equipment being used. Having two separate buildings is not ideal for safety and it limits the number of students in those courses.

The Board has discussed previously the option of razing the two buildings and building one free-span steel building of 11,000 to 13,000 square feet, discussing the pros and cons of doing the construction all at once or in phases.

The school started ramping up its special building fund for potential construction when the board approved levying $500,000 into the special building fund last year and another $500,000 in this years budget.

Superintendent Jeff Hoesing said in September 2020, building costs were estimated at $100-$120 per square foot. A little more than a year later, that amount had doubled to $240/square foot.

The Otte Construction bid comes in at $304 per square foot.

Hoesing and Board President Paul Schmit speculated that variable costs in  materials left many interested bidders unable to provide a reliable estimate.

“We have the plans. They’re ready to go,” Schmit said. “I don’t feel like we lost anything. We just don’t get to do what we were hoping to do.”

Hoesing said if material prices improve, the project can be re-bid in a matter of weeks.