Mehlville School District Board of Education members recently approved bids for renovations and improvements at Oakville Middle School that potentially will send the project at least $278,662 over budget.

The majority of construction scheduled for this summer at Oakville Middle is the installation of a new air conditioning system, which should complete all of the school’s renovations funded by Proposition P.

Mehlville voters approved a 49-cent tax-rate increase in November 2000 to fund the Proposition P districtwide building improvement program, then estimated to cost nearly $68.4 million.

The Board of Education last fall approved a revised budget totaling more than $86.7 million for Proposition P.

With total summer construction costs estimated at reaching $1.24 million, according to district documents, board members voted Jan. 12 to unanimously approve $1,029,701 in base bids for electric and control work and HVAC installation.

The board awarded a contract to Haberberger Inc. for $753,000 in HVAC work.

Haberberger’s base bid was $708,000 plus an additional $45,000 for the cost of a new boiler. The company submitted the lowest bid out of three bids.

K&F Electric received a contract for electric work involved at Oakville Middle, with a base bid of $72,700 and $600 in electric work associated with the new boiler. K&F Electric submitted the lowest bid out of eight bids.

The board also awarded a contract to Johnson Controls Inc. for $203,401 in control work, with a base bid of $194,804 and an additional $8,597 in control work associated with the installation of the new boiler. Johnson Controls submitted the only bid.

Other renovation costs for summer work McCarthy Construction estimates at Oakville Middle, according to district documents, include $58,751 for the cost of chillers, $33,941 in asbestos abatement and $41,494 in roof unit costs. The documents also indicate the project will include a 7-percent contingency budget of $81,472.