One of the last steps was taken Tuesday before actual construction begins on Kingfisher Public School’s new seventh and eighth grade center.

The board of education during its final meeting of the 2019-20 fiscal year approved expenditures of nearly $10 million on 30 bid packages and other fees that includes the new building’s construction.

The bids were opened June 24 and, after inspection, approved on the recommendation of Van Storm, a partner with Joe D. Hall General Contractors, the construction manager for this project.

“I’m thrilled with the results,” Storm said.

The 30 packages hauled in 140 bids, or 4.67 on average per package.

“There are a lot of people who need a job right now and we got a good group of subcontractors,” he added.

The total amount approved was $9,950,150, which includes the 30 bid packages, reimburseables, contingency fees, bond/ liability/builders risk and the construction manager’s fee.

That’s more than $800,000 under the initial projections that were offered a year ago.

Storm noted his firm has worked with nearly all the subcontractors who earned winning bids. All others, Storm said, were vetted by him prior to earning his approval as the “lowest and best bid.”

“I take seriously who I put on that page,” Storm said.

He was asked about the bid package for aluminum entrances, windows and glass/glazing.

Guymon Glass offered the lowest bid of $223,458, but the winning bid was that of Downtown Glass for $367,104.

Storm said Guymon Glass is currently working on two projects with his firm, but not at the standards he desires.

“We ruled them not qualified because they’re currently not completing other jobs with us satisfactorily,” Storm said.

Following are the winning bids for the projects. Line items will include the scope of work followed by the subcontractor and then the bid amount. All scopes of work include labor and materials unless otherwise noted:

• Concrete, Cantera Concrete Company, $470,100

• Masonry, CIA Masonry, $580,000

• Structural steel (material), Shawnee Fabricators, $318,780

• Structural steel (labor), Alpha Steel, $150,000

• General trades, Joe D. Hall, $388,800

• Millwork (materials), EGR, $180,000

• Epoxy resin countertops, Sheldon Laboratory Systems, $22,056

• Musical facility casework, Wenger Corporation, $46,883

• Gypsum board, ceiling suspension systems, etc., Midwest Drywall, $649,913

• Roofing, Coontz Roofing, $835,000

• Joint sealants, Alliance Waterproofing, $10,000

• Hollow metal doors, frames and hardware (materials), Tex Oma Builders Supply, $101,101

• Aluminum entrances, windows, glass and glazing, Downtown Glass, $367,104

• Painting, ORSA Interiors, $149,050

• Carpet and resilient flooring, Apex Flooring, $153,765

• Ceramic Tile, Apex Flooring, $162,976

• Concrete floor polishing, Ardor Solutions, $6,500

• Resinous flooring, Stonhard, $66,958

• Toilet accessories (materials), Y.I. Specialties, $5,246

• Toilet partitions (materials), All Commercial Openings, $14,025

• Lockers, OK Specialty, $47,000

• Overhead and coiling doors, Hall Building Products, $18,933

• Window treatments, Russell Interiors, $11,970

• Miscellaneous specialties - Visual display, OK Specialty, $16,800; corner guards, Specialty Sales, $4,010; wall coverings, Y.I. Specialties, $7,862; flagpoles, Poletech, $3,695; expansion joints, Burgess, $2,390

• Signage, Legacy Signs, $24,753

• Fire sprinkler system, Semper Fire, $79,000

• Food service equipment, Oswalt Restaurant Supply, $403,093

• Plumbing, Dense Mechanical, $607,000

• HVAC, DeHart Air Conditioning and Heating, $719,750

• Electrical, Don Schimmels Electric, $733,400.

The structure is being built on the south side of the APB, which was once a parking lot.

The concrete has been removed and dirt work is currently under way.

“That part is going well and we hope to start on the rock before too long,” Storm said. “And our goal is to start on the footing by August.”