The news kept getting better and better earlier this month at the bid opening for the planned renovations at Gilmour Elementary School.

Several of the low bids on the 19 different packages were under projections and some of them by considerable amounts.

When all was said and done, the total of the bids came in at just under $6.2 million, a full $1 million under the projected cost the Kingfisher Board of Education was presented at the February meeting.

At a special meeting on Wednesday, the board unanimously voted to award the bid packages and assign them to Joe D. Hall General Contractors, which will serve as the construction manager of the project.

The reason for the lower- than-expected bids?

Mostly it was competition, said Van Storm of Joe D. Hall, which has worked with Kingfisher on a number of major construction projects, including the current ag barn expansion and new locker rooms on the football field’s south end.

“We’ve had a lot of success with attracting bidders in Kingfisher, pulling from Lawton to Enid to Elk City and everywhere in between so that competition’s good,” Storm said. “I’m happy (with these numbers) if y’all are happy.”

Count Superintendent David Glover among those who are happy.

“I was thrilled that he (Storm) was conservative with his projection and high by about $1 million,” Glover said.

The $6.2 million figure does fall in line with what Storm presented to the board in September 2022.

However, as with most construction projects, the numbers tend to climb with time, which led to the higher projection in February.

“I’ve analyzed it and there are a few places that can explain the budget difference,” Storm said.

One was the drywall, which Storm projected to come in at around $850,000.

The low bid from Hutchco Construction of Oklahoma City was $624,464. It was one of five bids.

“That’s $200,000 right there just from the competition,” Storm said.

Another bid package that came in low was paint.

The winning bid of $181,679 from J&S Blast and Paint was well below $325,000 projection. There were also five bids in that package.

Windows and glass was projected to be around $350,000.

Of the three bids submitted, that was high bid.

The winning bid by Avenue C Glass of Oklahoma City was $194,170.

“There, again, some com-petition really helped the budget,” Storm said.

The renovation project will begin the day after school is out.

It’s expected to take 16 months to complete and will be done in four different phases.

Once completed, Gilmour will not only be more pleasing to the eye, but more conducive for education, said its principal.

“I know our teachers have been hoping for a renovation for a long time,” Makylah Tollefson said. “We are all so thrilled and look forward to being a part of this exciting change.

“The renovation will allow us to use our space more wisely, which will greatly improve the learning environment for everyone.”

On top of refreshing and updating the cosmetics of the older structure, the changes will include:

• More user friendly utilities

• More electrical outlets in classrooms

• More storage

• Restructuring of some of the classrooms

• The addition of a fire sprinkler system

• Resurfacing of the gym floor There will also be a new library/media/technology center constructed as well as a new motor lab.

“All of these things combined will be an enhancement to the learning environment,” Tollefson said.

Even better for taxpayers is the project won’t be costing them.

The board isn’t seeking a bond issue.

The district’s bountiful funds will allow it to pay for the project with money on hand as well as funds that will continue to come in.

As of the end of February 2023, the district had $11.89 million in the general fund and another $2.25 in the building fund.

Ad valorem collections remain high as KPS received more than $530,000 in February alone.

“The fact that it’s a phased project helps us with budgeting as well,” Glover added. “For the next fiscal year, I’ll show you budget- wise what we can do.

“But we’re blessed right now. Let’s move forward with this instead of sitting on it.”

The final figure also includes a 7 percent contingency of $368,103.

“I typically do 2 to 5 percent, but the budget can stand it and it’s a remodel,” Storm said. “There’s certainly going to be some unknowns that we get into when we tear out walls and find things. We may run into something there that’s not on your report. That’s pretty common.

“Things like that may arise and it may be that when you get in there, you see something you want done differently.

“That’s your money, that’s not our money. That contingency is healthy is my point. It’s not like we’re going into this with a super- tight budget where we can’t solve problems as we go along because we are on a phased schedule.”

And, Storm added, there’s no guarantee all of the contingency will be spent.

“We have a habit of coming in under as we did on the last job,” Storm said, referring to the Kingfisher Junior High. “That’s always our goal, but I never want to do that to the point you don’t get the project you want.”