PCHS bids over budget, work delayed a bit

Plans for the new Phil Campbell High School have once again hit a snag, but Franklin County Superintendent Gary Williams said it’s a problem that should be fixed in just a few weeks.
Williams said the school system budgeted between $17 million to $18 million for the construction of the school, but when the system took bids for the construction earlier this year, the lowest bid came in at $23 million.
“Basically, what this means is that we’re having to go through our plans and make some adjustments so we can get back within our budget,” Williams said.
“For instance, we can go with a shingle roof instead of a metal one. The function will still be the same but a shingle roof would be less costly.
“There are several changes like that we can make that won’t even really be all that noticeable but will save us a lot of money in the long run and get us back within budget.”
Williams said the school system’s architect and contractor met on Monday to discuss ways to get back within budget and the meeting seemed to go well.
“I think the meeting was very productive and we should have a list of all the possible changes that can be made and be able to make those decisions by the middle of next week,” he said.
“As soon as we get back within our budget, we’ll be able to continue moving forward.”
Williams said he allotted two to three weeks for paperwork associated with the changes to go through.
“I think we should be starting actual construction by the first of December,” he said. “I know there will be a lot of people, myself included, who will be happy to see that day finally come.”