WSD continuing plans to replace high school roof

WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School District is in the final stages of planning for the high school’s roof repair, a project that the board voted to approve in April 2020.

Currently, the district is working with Design West Architects, based in Kennewick, WA, to complete the schematic drawings of the high school’s roof. Superintendent Mark Pickel said plans are being prepared for the bid process, but exactly when they would be complete was unclear. He plans to have information available at the upcoming school board meeting. There has already been a public hearing and approval so the plans will not require formal approval during the actual board meeting.

The roof project was originally planned for the summer of 2020 and was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In talking with another general contractor, we learned that because of how restricted things were with the masks, OSHA, L&I… that we would not have enough to cover the total costs of the project,” Pickel said. “They suggested we wait until this spring, when things had settled down with the pandemic.”

There has been a significant rise in contruction costs during the pandemic which may also impact the cost of the project. Pickle is unsure of any impact at this time as the district has not received the final plans. The project will go to bid once the plans have been finalized. The bid process will begin in April and Pickel estimates the process will take two weeks. He will have more details after meeting with the project’s dedicated architect at a later time. Once the school accepts a bid, officials will work with the selected contractor to develop a timeline for construction and completion.

Roughly $230,000 was left over from the 2016 school bond, which will fund the roofing project. A public hearing was held in March 2020, and the board cast the final vote at April’s regular meeting. Details surrounding the project will be updated as the project progresses.