By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Bids to replace the artificial turf on the athletic field at Hillsborough High School came in about $80,000 under projections Monday night.
The Board of Education approved the bid of LandTek Group for $389,270 for the field work. When engineering, legal and other “soft” costs are added in, the total cost of the project was put at $520,000.
The field work will now be combined, financially speaking, with the middle school parking lot rebuilding and repaving. The board will seek temporary financing for the combined cost of $1.8-$1.9 million. The action to accept a financing proposal may come as soon as the next meeting on June 13.
Even though the school board had to disqualify the lowest bidder for the paving project, and take the second-best quote at $1,172,938, it was still below what was estimated to voters before the March 8 referendum asking approval to borrow the money.
The $1.17 million figure, even after legal and contingency and other “soft” costs are added, for the3 parking lot appears to be slightly below the $1,426,461 the board estimated when it asked for the public’s approval to borrow $2 million in a March 8 referendum.
In referendum material, the cost of artificial turf replacement was estimated at $608,048.
Borrowing money — even with a one-year note — puts the school board in position to receive 40 percent of the total cost of the two jobs through state debt relief aid. That amount is expected in the $800,000 range. The board will pay the $1.2 million remainder by shifting money from its capital reserve account.
By getting state aid and using money already saved, the board anticipates no new tax impact on property owners.
The board has deemed the artificial turf on the athletic field to be potentially unsafe for play.
The potholded parking lot will undergo rebuilding to improve drainage, redirect traffic flow and be repaved.
Both projects will be started this summer and completed in time for the start of school in the fall — approximately Aug. 15. The field project should go relatively easy, said Board Secretary Aiman Mahmoud. The existing drainage system won’t need to be replaced, and only the top “carpet” will be torn off and a new layer laid down.
Bids other than LandTek’s were approximately $467,000 and $420,000.
