After initial bids were too high, rebid adds air conditioning to Erie's new Edison School
Construction of Erie's new Edison Elementary School is not only back on course. The $38.4 million project, stalled when several of the initial construction bids came in too high, now also features air conditioning.
The Erie School Board included air conditioning in the new bids it approved at a special meeting on Edison on Friday.
The district accepted rebids after the original bidding process, in January, yielded costs too high under Act 34, the state law that regulates school construction.
The school district's architects, HHSDR, of Sharon and Pittsburgh trimmed some features and asked for new bids for general construction, electrical construction and food service equipment.
The new winning bids came in a total of $2.6 million lower than the initial bids, according to the school district. The savings allowed the district to add air conditioning and other features, such as electronic key fobs for doors, that it declined to consider after the initial bids came in too high.
How many Erie School District schools have air conditioning?
"The fact that we are able to get air conditioning is a real plus," Erie schools Superintendent Brian Polito said.
The new Edison will join three other Erie School District school buildings that have air conditioning: Harding and Pfeiffer-Burleigh elementary schools and half of Erie High School.
The 10,000-student district, which has 16 school buildings, is working to make all the schools "AC-ready," so the district can add air conditioning when funds are available, said Neal Brokman, the district's assistant superintendent for operations.
When will construction start on the new Edison?
The groundbreaking for the new Edison had been scheduled for mid-February before the rebid. The district is now aiming for groundbreaking at the end of March, with the new building still scheduled to open for the 2025-26 academic year, Brokman said.
The new Edison will be built to the south of the existing 92-year-old, 421-student school at 1921 East Lake Road. The existing Edison, which opened in 1932, last underwent a major renovation in 1952.
The district is using cash to pay for the new Edison rather than a bond issue. It is also using $4.5 million in federal pandemic aid to pay for the new school's heating and ventilation systems.
Who won the bids for the construction of Edison?
Two of the successful bidders from the initial round avoided a rebid.
Rabe Environmental Systems of Erie's bid for HVAC was approved on Friday at $4,419,960, according to district records.
Wm. T. Spaeder Co. of Erie's bid for plumbing was approved at $1,968,600.
Awarded via the rebid:
General construction — Perry Construction Group Inc., of Erie: $23,881,500
Electrical — Church & Murdock Electric Inc., of Erie: $2,784,077
Food service equipment — HRI Commercial Food Service, of Erie: $385,170
The approved bids amount to a total construction cost of $33,439,307. The total project cost amounts to $38,392,507 with the addition of soft costs, such as architectural costs and permitting fees.
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNpalattella.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Rebid adds air conditioning to Erie's new Edison Elementary School
