What to expect on Fort Worth school bond project costs
Initial shock gave way to a deep sinking feeling last fall when bids to rebuild Washington Heights Elementary School in Fort Worth, part of a $490 million bond program approved by FWISD voters in 2013, came in $2.5 million over budget.
Shock came because promises had been made to Washington Heights students and parents.
The sinking feeling followed when it became clear that rapidly escalating construction costs would ripple through the long list of projects promised to district voters.
After a presentation in a workshop session earlier this month, district trustees now have an idea of that cost impact. It’s probably somewhere in the range of $30 million to $38 million, say consultants from AECOM, the Los Angeles-based company that’s managing the projects for the district.
That’s not great, but knowing the figures is better than worrying about what they might be.
The district plans to defer $6.5 million worth of maintenance projects and $7.8 million in auditorium seating originally included in the bond program.
The final totals are still a little bit squishy. Documents presented to trustees show that the $490 million bond package included $33.6 million in contingency funding, so some of the forecast overruns might be covered by that money.
Still, other spending needs might come up as projects reach final design and even as the work is done.
The estimated increases include $8 million for Washington Heights, Westpark Elementary and Benbrook Middle schools; $8.3 million for classroom additions at 11 schools; $3.3 million for pre-kindergarten classrooms at 17 schools; and $11.7 million for kitchen and cafeteria upgrades at 29 schools.
Intense competition for workers and materials has helped lead to the increases, with more than $2 billion worth of school construction work in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, AECOM said.
Managing this process, finding efficiencies and keeping a close watch on spending will be essential until the last of the bond projects is done.
This story was originally published February 18, 2015 at 5:57 PM with the headline "What to expect on Fort Worth school bond project costs."