ST. JOHN | Lake Central School trustees on Monday awarded three multimillion dollar contracts for continued construction at Lake Central High School.
Bids were opened Nov. 7 for interior finishes, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and electrical work for the school.
Barton Malow Co. of Chicago was awarded the nearly $19.6 million contract to provide general contracting services for all of the school’s interiors, including drywall and acoustical ceilings.
Five companies submitted bids for this portion of the construction, said Bill Ledyard, director of facilities for the Lake Central School Corp.
Barton Malow Co. was the lowest responsible bidder, while Gariup Construction of Gary was the highest bidder at more than $23.2 million.
A $19.6 million contract for HVAC work was awarded to Mechanical Inc. of Freeport, Ill.
“We had three bidders for this package, and all were very competitive,” Ledyard said.
The School Board also awarded an electrical contract to Highland-based EMCOR Hyre Electric Co. of Indiana for a bid of $11.545 million. The highest of the package’s three bidders was $19.7 million from Sargent Electric Co. of East Chicago.
In related business, the Lake Central School Board approved a $153,000 deduction from a $4.5 million contract awarded to Artic Engineering of Merrillville for mechanical systems at the new Protsman Elementary School in Dyer.
The School Board also heard from Director of Business Services Rob James that the school corporation was awarded a technology loan of $932,400 from the Indiana State Board of Education.
This technology advancement from the common school fund will be used to upgrade teacher and student computers and improve technology infrastructure throughout the district, James said.
“Additionally, funds will be used to provide assistive technology to students with special needs and to equip the classrooms with technology to improve instructional delivery by teaching staff,” he said.
That technology will include 100 iPads, four TAPit Tables, six SMART Tables and eight SMART Boards.
The money must be used within one year and is to be repaid during a period of five years at an interest rate of 1 percent, James said.
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