Ankeny School Board Hopes to Save Money on Phase Two of Southview

The Ankeny school board wants to work with a construction management firm to complete the second phase of Southview Middle School, but which firm has yet to be determined.

The board decided in a 6-0 vote at its meeting Monday night to hire an additional contractor to find ways to save money in the $15.6 million project. Board member Dustin Graber was absent from the meeting.

“I think it’s a model we should move forward on,” said board member Todd Shafer prior to the vote. “We should get the process going now.”

The board heard two final presentations from construction management firms at last night’s meeting. The first was from Des Moines-based Weitz Company, the second from Graham Construction, also of Des Moines.

The interest in hiring an additional contractor stemmed from . At the meeting, 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 save money.

At a special Oct. 27 meeting, the board heard presentations from Wausau, Wis.-based Samuels Group and Story Construction of Ames.

The final two companies up for consideration are CSI Construction Services of Des Moines and DLR Group, the architectural and engineering firm behind the new Ankeny High School and Southview Middle School. .

Each contractor will be sent additional questions following Monday’s decision. The board will then meet in public session at a later date to discuss and decide who they feel is best suited for the job.