District awaiting updated estimates for new building
By: Stephanie Brown
MONROE School district officials say they will have a solid cost estimate for the new high school next month, though they are expecting the price tag to be larger than originally predicted.
Epic Management, a Piscataway-based construction management company, is reviewing the architectural schematics for the 365,000-square-foot building and is expected to provide a detailed analysis of the costs to the board next month. The board plans to unveil the analysis Jan. 10.
School officials have been expecting the price tag to be higher than the $89.3 million approved by voters in December 2003, but have been unwilling to speculate on just how much higher.
A Sept. 27 letter from project architect John Morton of MRM Architecture to Superintendent Ralph Ferrie said the project could cost an additional $30 million. However, Dr. Ferrie said the letter’s estimate was just a guess and it was based on a 2005 Epic Management cost estimate.
Both Dr. Ferrie and School Business Administrator Wayne Hamilton said the letter was intended just to give the district a rough estimate of where costs in the construction market were going and not as a real estimate of how much the district will ultimately have to spend.
Dr. Ferrie said the Epic estimate will be far more accurate and will be used to determine what actions the board will pursue which could include requesting bids on the project in separate sections, exploring shared services with the township and/or holding another referendum.
Epic’s estimate will include a thorough, detailed list of all the costs associated with the construction of the new high school based on prices likely to be in place when the district goes out to bid in February or March. The report also will include the percentage costs are likely to increase for each following month should the bid process be delayed.
"The only finite number comes from a cost estimate and that will be from Epic," Mr. Holliday said. "The architect put out what’s called an ‘opinion of probable cost.’ That’s all it is it’s an opinion."
Dr. Ferrie, Mr. Holliday and Board of Education President Kathy Kolupanowich said the board has kept the public informed that the project is likely to cost more than originally planned. The board has discussed publicly the potential for increased costs.
"Yes, it’s getting more expensive," Dr. Ferrie said. "Yes, the markets are volatile we’ve been saying that all along. But until we get that up-to-date cost estimate from Epic, we don’t want to pinpoint what the additional cost will be."
In the meantime, the school district has been working ways to lessen the increase’s affect on taxpayers, the officials said.
The new high school will be used by the township very much the same way the current high school is used. For example, athletic fields and the performing arts center are used by both the school and the township.
Because of this, the township and the school district have formed a shared services committee and are looking for ways to save money.
Also, Mr. Holliday said the school board has been considering going out to bid for separate project components instead of for one, large project.
"When you bid out the components separately, you get a better price," Mr. Holliday said.

