Bid Results Released for State College Area High School Renovations

With four years of planning in the books, a historic step has been made in the progression of the new State College Area High School. 

On Wednesday, the State College Area High School District opened and released preliminary bids for the ongoing construction of the school.

The preliminary bids included site, general, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, fire protection, and food service packages. The general bid package will make up the largest proportion of the project’s total cost.

Ed Poprik, Director of Physical Plant, announced that the project’s cost is within the estimates of $129 million to $140 million. Board president Amber Concepcion said that this was a big step in the updating of the high school facilities for their students. 

On Monday, the board will be reviewing the bid results and then will vote the following Monday.

District administrators as well as design team members will evaluate the bids and will also consider alternates in order to make recommendations to the board, which will then take the lowest bid for each package.

On Thursday at 4 p.m. the Citizens Advisory Committees for facilities and finance will discuss the bids and bid alternates as well as use residents of the community to help the district address substantial issues. The meeting is open to the public. 

One proposed bid alternate would create an innovation center attached to the STEM wing of the high school. The center would give students space to work together on real world problems, pursue interdisciplinary topics, partner with businesses and industries for project-based learning and enhance critical thinking for college and future careers. The estimate cost is $1,206,000.

Other bid alternates include a rooftop greenhouse, locker room renovations, kitchen renovations, and a built-up asphalt roof.