Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
School Board hears about athletic complex work
SILOAM SPRINGS — Work on the new athletic complex is coming along, School Board members were told during their most recent meeting.
The board heard a presentation from Charlie Ochs, the preconstruction vice president from Mammoth Sports Construction, about the second phase of the construction of the new athletic complex.
He gave a brief overview of the project during the report of Superintendent Jody Wiggins. The project began with design services and then the first phase of construction, which is the football field and turf replacement, Ochs said.
“So that is already underway right now,” Ochs said of the football field. “We are currently in the preconstruction phase for Phase Two, which is the baseball, softball, tennis complex north of the high school.”
Ochs said Mammoth is ready to guarantee a maximum price for the first package, which involves all of the horizontal construction and the fields, turf line, athletic equipment and the tennis courts later on.
Package Two will involve a vertical build that includes the press box, the concessions, miscellaneous paving and supporting infrastructure, Ochs said.
Package One will be split between Phase One where the football field will receive new turf and Phase Two that will include the baseball and softball fields and tennis courts, Ochs said. Package Two will occur during the second phase of construction, Ochs said.
Ochs then reviewed cost, contract and schedule with the School Board. The budget for the project is $6 million, Ochs said.
Mammoth has $ 102,000 of guaranteed maximum price for the company’s design services that they have already incurred and $577,611 for the football field turf replacement — all of which was guaranteed and procured in the original agreement, Ochs said.
Then Mammoth had to work through the design of the second phase of the project, which is where they are at presently, Ochs said. The second phase presently includes the horizontal work, Ochs said. Horizontal work for the project will cost $3,747,618, Ochs said.
“That is the price that we’re ready to guarantee today … for construction,” Ochs said. “The remaining budget is just over one and one half million right now. That is trending well with the vertical piece that we have left. So we’ve estimated that we are currently under that budget.”
After the presentation, Wiggins mentioned that the community entrance will be located on the west side of the complex so citizens won’t have to walk through the entire complex to reach the tennis courts.
Ochs said they will be able to construct the fields faster than the building and the fields will be completed in the fall.
“Glue doesn’t set in the winter,” Ochs said. “So we want to make sure we get that turf in before the winter months kick in so we potentially could set up usage prior to then.”
Ochs said there would be safety precautions in place. Board member Grant Loyd asked if winter will hamper construction of the building. Ochs replied that winter will slow down construction to some extent, but it is something Mammoth can get creative with.
Board member Aric Bergthold asked if there were escalation clauses in the contract with Mammoth. Ochs said the guaranteed maximum price is set, and there are no escalation costs.
“If [construction] exceeds that price, we will then be liable for where that price is exceeded to,” Ochs said.
Part of the guarantee is that Mammoth has already solicited all the vendors, Ochs said. Board member Chris Whorton confirmed that the football turf will be completed around July 20. Ochs said that the football turf was a three-week process.
Loyd asked what would happen if the cost of construction is lower than previously anticipated. Ochs told him if they beat that price the savings are shared with the School District.
Board member Brian Lamb then called for a vote, and the board voted to approve the contract amendment unanimously.
In other business, School Board members decided their roles for the upcoming 202324 school year. They voted to appoint Lamb as board president, Loyd as vice president, Travis Jackson as secretary, Bergthold as legislative liaison and Whorton as disbursing officer. Members will assume their roles at the start of the new school year beginning July 1.