The New Boston School Board awarded an early site work contract Wednesday to begin preparing the site of the new K-12 school building on Lakeview Avenue. Bids were solicited last month for the project, valued at $306,000.

Six bids were received and $196,000 contract was awarded to Moore Demolition.

“That outfit (Moore Demolition) is in Centerburg, Ohio, but all work will be done by local people,” Staggs said.

The district will take the $110,000 savings and use it on alternate features that have been dropped by the project during value engineering budget cuts.

“We have a list of what we’re going to put back in, and in what order. If we had a big pot of money, we would go back in that order. If we don’t, then we’ll bring back what we can. The board approved, back in September, the list of what comes back first and the first one is the district administrative offices,” Staggs said.

Other alternate items cut by value engineering include geo-thermal, additional seating in the gym, side light glass panels and a vegetative roof.

According to the construction manager, Moore Demolition will be working next week on the site of the new school, knocking out the buildings and pavement from what used to be Sun and Funland Pool on Lakeview Avenue.

“They’ll fill everything back in with fill dirt. They’ll cut the trees down and those trees will all be recycled; and all the cement will be recycled,” Staggs said.

Staggs said it would take about a month to complete early site work.

In 2008, residents of New Boston voted to accept a tax levy to build a new K-12 school building on Lakeview Avenue. The $21 million building will have central air conditioning once it’s complete, but the on-again/off-again project has been stalled while the district has battled with the Ohio School Facilities Commission about location, cost, features and labor.

After the site is cleared by Moore Demolition, the remaining land will be elevated 6-8 feet. Part of the hill will also be removed and a retaining wall installed. The school expects in January to solicit bids for general construction, and break ground in March 2011 for an opening 18 months later — just in time for the start of the 2012-13 school year.

RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235, or rottney@heartlandpublications.com.