Coming down: Board OKs bid to demolish old Central Office
Although it will cost more than the district anticipated, the old SMCISD administration building on South LBJ and several portable buildings are set for demolition.
At its meeting Monday night, the SMCISD board of trustees awarded a bid for abatement and demolition of the central office building, which was abandoned due to mold and air quality issues, and two portable buildings and the old playground located adjacent to the central office.
“I was expecting it to be quite a bit less money,” SMCISD trustee John McGlothlin said, adding that while he was in favor of the demolition before, the higher cost changed his mind. Trustee Lupe Costilla agreed with McGlothlin that the cost was high.
“The abatement cost did come out higher than expected,” said Karen Griffith, assistant superintendent for business and operations. When the building was tested for asbestos, more positive areas were found than the district had anticipated, and that will make abatement and monitoring more costly.
The cost for the demolition, abatement and monitoring of the old central office and playground would be $137,450. Of that, according to the district’s figures, abatement would cost about $65,000 and abatement/demolition oversight fees, including final clearance samples and state-required air monitoring, would be another $25,450.
To demolish the portable attached to the current Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos building and replace the wall would add $48,000 to the project. To demolish the portable previously used by School Fuel would add another $9,000. The grand total is $194,450.
Jay Wesson, SMCISD director of facilities and construction, said initially the demolition was thought to be $50,000 to $60,000, but “The cost to abate and to monitor that abatement … it’s a lot more expensive than we anticipated.”
Trustee Anne Halsey said she still favored going ahead with the demolition, noting that the district has a responsibility to the site and that, “This cost will certainly not decrease in the foreseeable future.”
Trustee Kathy Hansen voiced concerns about the safety of the portable buildings and the playground, where people still go to play even though it is unsafe.
“I think it’s our responsibility to maintain the site,” said trustee Miguel Arredondo. “If we don’t take action tonight, what are we going to do to maintain it?”
Halsey made a motion to accept the cost, and Arredondo seconded it. The motion passed 4-2 with Costilla and McGlothlin voting against it and trustee Margie Villalpando absent.
In other business, the board approved the guaranteed maximum price from Cadence McShane Construction for multi-campus additions and renovations. Cadence McShane is the construction manager at-risk for upcoming work on the Mendez, Hernandez, Crockett, Travis and Bowie elementary campuses. The firm has given a guaranteed maximum price of $11,342,346 — about $40,000 under budget.
