By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Board of Education on Monday approved the bid for the construction of a community elementary school in the Cahaba Project in Trussville.
Trussville-based Blalock Building Company was approved to build the school, and renovate the existing structure, for $10,961,000. The company had been revealed as the low bidder Feb. 10 with a bid of $11,088,000. Minor adjustments decreased the cost. Blalock Building Company was the company that won the bid for constructing Hewitt-Trussville Stadium, which was completed in October 2014.
Tuscaloosa-based Amason & Associates, Inc. bid $11,903,000 to build the new school. Birmingham-based Argo Building Company, which was the low bidder for the Magnolia Place community elementary school, bid a total of $12,224,116. Trussville City Schools’ available funds for the project totaled $12,152,170.
The projected completion date for the school is June 30, 2016.
Bids for the elementary school in the Magnolia Place area were opened in January, with Birmingham-based Argo Building Company revealed as the low bidder at $15,229,235. Trussville City Schools’ available funds for that project totaled $10,862,350. Argo’s bid was reduced to an approved $13,754,935 by making adjustments. The expected completion date of that school is July 15, 2016.
Each school will accommodate up to 500 students. The total cost — including construction, renovation, site work, contingency and other costs — for both schools was projected to be around $23 million.
The plan is to open both schools for the 2016-2017 school year.
Based on this year’s enrollment, there would be 427 students attending the New Deal-era school building in the Cahaba Project, 374 at the school in the Magnolia Place area and 1,025 students at the Paine Elementary Campus.
Trussville residents on Feb. 25, 2014 voted to approve a seven-millage property tax increase to fund the two new community elementary schools. The final results of the vote were 2,813 people in favor of the increase, while 1,935 voted against it. Seven additional mills in property taxes will cost Trussville residents $70 per year on homes appraised at $100,000, $140 per year on homes appraised at $200,000 and $210 per year on homes appraised at $300,000.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.