Thurston Renovations Postponed Until 2011

Renovations to the roadway and landscaping at the Thurston Middle School have been pushed back until next summer, according Westwood school officials.

The work, originally expected to be completed by the end of August, is not to the school itself but rather to the roadway, landscaping and sidewalk near the building, making it level with the road stretching from Nahatan to High Street. The point is to remove the hill-like walk that currently exists.

Bids for the project were estimated to be around $200,000 and were due by July 14. But while eight companies had picked up bids, only one returned with an offer – a bid of about $369,000. Because it was so high over the original estimated bid, officials were forced to push the project back, hoping for more bids in the spring.

"The bid was too high," said Heath Petracca, Director of Business and Finance for Westwood Public Schools. "We feel that it's probably due to the tight schedule we had on it. We had about five weeks to get it done, but I think that some people shied away from putting their bids."

The project will go back out to bid in the springtime to hopefully begin work next summer. The main reason the project won't be taking place during the school year is that the work will be done to an area that sees a high volume of foot traffic from students and teachers.

"It will go out to bid for summer work next year," said Ken Aries, director of operations for Westwood Public Schools. "It's something that we need to have the school close down for out front. A project of this size really needs to be summer work."

Moreover, companies that submit bids may feel more comfortable fitting the project into their work schedules if it goes out to bid early enough in the spring, Petracca said.

"It would be better for us to go out in the spring," Petracca said, "because once they know they have the job, they can work it into their summer schedule. It's better for them to know ahead of time."