Getting the $6 million Dolores school expansion project off the ground has been a little bit of "hurry up and wait." But visible progress, in the form of demolition, is finally expected to begin next week.
Price overruns forced a redesign in May, and recently officials realized part of the expansion does not comply with new flood plain rules set by Federal Emergency Management Agency for the Dolores Valley.
Three of five new buildings have to be redesigned and raised 2-3 feet, said Re-4a superintendent Scott Cooper. Fill dirt will need to be hauled in and foundations and walls extended, adding to the costs. Indoor elevators will also have to be installed to accommodate individuals with mobility impairments.
"There will be some elevation differences in the hallways where the old and new buildings connect, and we need to install wheelchair lifts where there will be steps," he said.
The additional construction costs to reach FEMA compliance are expected to run at least $400,000 and could reach up to $800,000 because of expanded foundation costs.
Locker room improvements at the school had to be scaled back to keep the project within budget, Cooper said, and the savings there will cover the increased costs elsewhere.
"Instead of demolition of the current locker rooms and a complete rebuild, they will be remodeled extensively," he said. "It will be one third of the cost for a remodel."
The original locker room plan included two new sets of girls' and boys' locker rooms at a cost of $1.2 million. Now the current facility of one locker room for the boys and one for the girls will remain, but be upgraded at a cost of $410,000.
"We are in the flood plain and it is a complicated campus to work on because there are five different generations of buildings," Cooper said. "So we are combining the old and the new in a quality way that makes sense for learning environments."
Another change is that the new career technical education (CTE) building will not be attached to wood shop.
"Marrying a new building with an old one can turn into major cost over-runs, so after we demo the vo-ag building, the new CTE building will stand alone," Cooper said.
Cooper emphasized that the scope of the total project is still in line with what the voters approved last November. New science classrooms and labs, the new CTE building, new elementary classrooms and remodeled locker rooms all are included.
Special care was taken to not cut educational aspects of the school expansion and upgrade.
"That is most important. When you are cutting back scope, I'd rather cut back the luxury of having multiple locker rooms instead of cutbacks on classrooms for students," Cooper said.
There has been some other trimming. Landscaping will be cut, a more elaborate entrance was scaled back, and outdoor window shades will be replaced with indoor pull-down shades.
"We're still on track to get the bulk of the construction completed in this one-year time frame so we can open the doors in 2014 to a state-of-the-art campus," Cooper said. "It is still going to be wonderful;
"We just had to cut some of the bells and whistles."
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com