Oakville Middle School and Wohlwend Elementary will get upgraded secure entry vestibules this summer.
The Mehlville School District Board of Education voted unanimously Jan. 18 to approve a $1.026 million dollar bid for Aspire Construction Services to upgrade both the entry vestibules at Oakville Middle and Wohlwend Elementary. The bid includes professional, contingency and allowance fees.
The projects are funded through Proposition S, the $35-million no-tax-rate increase bond that was approved by voters in April 2021 to fund facility and safety upgrades at all of the district’s buildings.
“These are upgrades to the existing vestibules and will provide more security for students, staff and visitors,” Facilities Director Mike Gegg told the board. “The school office will better be able to control how visitors enter … the school.”
The bid closely matches the estimated budget for the specific projects and has no impact on the overall Prop S budget.
The district received bids from three other companies, including an $894,900 base bid from Integrated Inc, an $896,600 base bid from Hankins Construction and a $970,000 base bid from K&S Associates Inc.
According to Gegg, work is assumed to begin in the summer, and will take around nine weeks to complete, as long as all the necessary supplies are available.
Prop S updates
Several other Prop S projects have been completed across the district: the security entrance at Bernard Middle; the Forder HVAC system; upgraded parking and security entrance at Oakville Elementary; upgraded ballfields, restrooms and a security entrance at Oakville High School; updated parking and a security entrance at Rogers Elementary; a new security entrance at Blades Elementary; roof work at Washington Middle; upgraded Mehlville High School ballfields; and security entrances at Hagemann and Bierbaum Elementary.
Prop S Construction Manager Steve Wendl told the board that while there had been no new completions for the past couple of months, there are several other projects were underway.
“We’re getting close on a couple,” he said.
Bierbaum phase two is underway, which includes the new library, music and art rooms, and other classrooms.
“We have, this month, started our foundation walls, so it’ll be coming up out of the ground and kind of start to look a little bit more like a building,” Wendl said.
The board will go out to bid for the work at Buerkle Middle, Beasley and Forder Elementary sometime in February, with bids due to the district by Jan. 30. The work at Buerkle and Forder is expected to begin as soon as bids are awarded, while the work at Beasley will start the first day of summer, with the intent to finish all three schools by summer’s end.
Phase one of the work at Mosaic Elementary, which includes the security entrance and office, will bid in February, with construction expected this summer.
Work for the projects at Trautwein Elementary and Washington Middle will go out to bid in April/May and July, respectively. Construction will start at Trautwein this summer, while work will start at Washington in the fall.
“We are still back to some conceptual on Washington, so I did push that bid date back a little bit,” Wendl explained.
Phase two of the scope of work at Mosaic, which includes accessibility upgrades and elevators, won’t go out to bid until January 2025, with construction to start in summer 2025.
To date, the district has spent just under $20 million in Prop S funds, with $18.38 million remaining.