Construction to Begin Soon on Lake Weir Middle School Replacement

OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Public School Board unanimously approved the construction management contract for the guaranteed maximum price for the new middle school “DD,” Lake Weir Middle School Project, at their meeting Oct. 28.

The guaranteed maximum price for the Lake Weir Middle School replacement cost is $62,698,806.77. When the school district borrowed the certificate of participation for schools, the school district put $65 million in for this particular project, said Angela Usher, Marion County Public School senior director, operations.

“I’m very pleased the cost is $62 million, and the cost is coming in less at what was proposed $410 a square foot, it came in at $402 a square foot, which is great,” said Usher.

Breaking ground

The substantial completion date is scheduled for May 2027, with work starting in November 2025, but there may be a slight delay. The general area is about 152,000 square feet. The construction manager is Skanska. The architect is Harvard Jolly PBK.

“We do have some concerns about our permit and breaking ground. In talking with the contractor, he was hoping to start in November, so we can have an opening in 2027,” said Usher. “We’re still on track to do this, and even if it’s pushed back a couple of months, we can still make our opening date.”

Adding up the numbers 

School Board member Dist. 5, Dr. Sarah James had concerns regarding the conditions, and when she was reviewing the GMP document, and totaling up the staff, the budget for the staff is listed as $3,132,144.40. There seemed to be a discrepancy in the numbers, as when she totaled the figures the amount came to $3,150,353.92. It may be clerical error, but Dr. James’s concern was that the GMP the board was approving in terms of the general conditions for the number that is indicated on Page 14 of the document, isn’t an accurate number based on what was being presented.

Pages 13 and 14 of the GMP document outline two pages of general conditions, which total $5.39 million, said James. However, the contract is only indicating general conditions for $3.1 million, and that was another area where James had concern.

“And finally, I do believe the cost for staff, being at $3.15 million for a school that’s coming in at this price, is significantly higher than schools we have seen completion recently, including Winding Oaks and Ross Prairie,” said James. “Those are my concerns… My question would be for the attorney about the legality of the number being inaccurate on page two item 2.4, entitled general conditions, and it not being reflective of the actual mathematical number that’s on page 14.”

School District Attorney Jeremy Powers told the school board, if the number is inaccurate, it would have to be amended.

“The amendment at this point appears to duplicate another inaccuracy,” said Powers. “If we amend something with an inaccuracy, we then have to amend it with a corrective action at a future point.”

If the discrepancy is the contractor’s mistake, the school district will benefit from it because it will incur the lower of the two costs, said Usher.

“I’ve been talking to the contractor, and they realize that they made a mistake it’s a minor amount, and they will honor the lower amount,” said Usher.

James’s concern is the total for pages 13 and 14 of the document, with the amount being $5.39 million, believing that’s what the school district is responsible for general conditions, yet 2.4 only says $3.13 million, and even if that is the total, it’s still significantly higher for the other projects that were recently completed.

“It’s not about the number of staff, it’s about the cost of the staff,” said James.

Winding Oaks was a $48 million GMP and they spent a little bit less than $2 million staff, said James, regarding the disparity.

“This is only $14 million more for a project and we’re spending essentially a million dollars more, so proportionately, it doesn’t seem to track for me,” said James.

On the general conditions, there are two categories. Staff is $3.1 million, said Usher. Then, there is general requirements, which is $2.3 million, so when added together, the total general condition is $5.39 million. When comparing the GMP of a middle school to an elementary school it incorporates not only the general conditions, but all the other special needs versus that of an elementary school. The time frame for the general conditions for staff is almost twice as long for staff for an elementary school.

Capitol concerns 

However, the federal government shutdown is causing a delay in the process.

“In order for us to break ground, on that middle school, we have to have a letter from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Administration, and it has to have two signatures, we’re waiting on both of them, one in Jacksonville and one in Atlanta, and then the government has to reopen, before that can even start,” said Dr. Allison Campbell, School Board Dist. no.1. “Once we get both of those signatures, a 30-day window happens, we pay a fine, and then we can break ground. It’s something that we’re hoping to get our congressmen and senators involved with, but there’s nothing that they can do at this juncture, until the federal government reopens for there to be staff to do the things that I just indicated.”