Ankeny School Board Considers Ways to Save Money on Building Projects

Hiring an additional contractor could save the Ankeny school district money on construction projects, school board members were told Thursday.

During a special meeting the board heard presentations from two construction management firms. Representatives from Wausau, Wis.-based Samuels Group and Story Construction of Ames shared their money-saving strategies and answered questions from board members.

“We look at what we’re constructing and what we’re constructing it with,” Sid Samuels of the Samuels Group told the board. “Our goal is not to jeopardize the design, but to maximize your dollars.”

, board member Todd Shafer said he believed the district needed to bring in a construction project manager to assess project costs and find out what can be cut to trim costs.

Thursday night board member Pat Cahill said there was a consensus among board members to bring in the two companies and learn more about what they could do for the district.

“These presentations and any future ones are a result of the entire board wanting to have this discussion,” Cahill said. “It doesn’t mean someone isn’t doing their job, we just want to make sure we do a better job.

“I don’t see this as a new strategy, but rather a continuation of bringing in new people to achieve a desired end result.”

Members also were given a chance to ask any remaining questions about the three new potential facility plans presented to the board in lieu of the current plan. The current plan includes a $15.6 million referendum to go before voters next February or April.

Board president George Tracy said the board is expected to decide on a facility plan at the Nov. 7 meeting.

The Samuels Group, which also has an office in Waterloo, has worked on several projects around the state, including a school in Dunkerton and an athletic facility for the University of Iowa. One of its larger clients is Upper Iowa University.

Board member Dustin Graber asked the representatives from the Samuels Group what a construction management firm could do differently in comparison to the district’s current plan.

“We once saved $450,000 on a $6.9 million project,” said Kurt Berner of the Samuels Group. “We take a very proactive approach.”

Representatives from Story Construction, the second firm at the meeting, said they primarily handle projects in central Iowa, but they have done others throughout the state including projects for Keokuk and Mason City public schools.

The largest project they have worked on was $40 million, said Mike Espeset, president of Story Construction.

Board members asked if the company has ever experienced a situation where their services didn’t result in significant savings to a construction plan.

“If that happens, we roll up our sleeves and get back to work,” said Pat Geary, the chief operating officer of Story Construction. “We work hard to enough to ensure things go well.”