THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 2, 1996 TAG: 9604300139
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Education
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
ON PAPER, the planned renovation of Bay View and Taylor elementary schools carries a price tag of $5.7 million. But in reality, officials ``have no idea'' what the work will cost, a consulting engineer told the School Board last week.
``We plan to develop the type of education program that is needed, and then tell you what the cost is,'' said the engineer, John W. Fowler, who also is working with the board on Granby High's renovation. ``I don't know that we're working toward any fixed number.''
But if reality doesn't match the paper numbers, it would throw a worrisome kink into the board's current five-year Capital Improvement Plan, forcing school officials to seek more money from the city.
While construction at the two schools is not slated to begin until summer 1998, some board members worried about such an open-ended approach to cost. The board's current five-year CIP, already negotiated with City Council, estimates costs of $3.5 million at Bay View and $2.25 million at Taylor.
Chairman Ulysses Turner reminded Fowler that the board has to work within a budget.
``We need to be careful not to design a renovation that will cost far beyond what we can afford to pay,'' Turner said.
Two architectural firms hired recently have just begun work on preliminary design plans and will assess the schools' needs and the cost, Fowler said. But at this early stage, Fowler said he did not want to even guess what the two projects will cost.
About five months of site evaluations may be needed before a cost estimate is available, Fowler said.
One difficulty in estimating cost at this point is the age of the school buildings, Fowler said. Bay View was built in the 1920s, while Taylor was constructed in 1917. Renovation of older buildings often becomes more extensive because of unforseen problems, which could upset estimates, he said.
Fowler cited problems of pricing the Granby High renovation as another reason he hesitated putting a cost on the Taylor and Bay View projects. Early estimates placed Granby's cost at about $16 million, but officials now tag it at about $24 million.
``We got into trouble at Granby, because someone threw out some numbers that weren't realistic,'' Fowler said.
The city has approved $21 million for Granby, meaning that some improvements, such as a planned overhaul of the gym, could be delayed until more money is available. Construction on Granby will begin this summer.
Deputy Superintendent J. Frank Sellew said the cost estimates in the CIP on the Taylor and Bay View projects were several years old and ``based on somebody's swag'' of what the price might be.
While acknowledging the board's frustration with wanting numbers in hand, Sellew said the architectural firms have been instructed to ``look for economical solutions.''
Fowler said the firms will develop plans based on a ``wish list'' of educational programs outlined by the schools' principals and staff. Several plans with different price tags probably will be developed, he said.
Norfolk-based architectural firms are doing the preliminary designs. Tymoff & Moss was hired for $61,760 for the Taylor project; Cederquist, Rodriguez & Ripley was hired for $102,084 for the Bay View design. by CNB