RIH Successfully Negotiates for Generators

After months of receiving bids that were sometimes twice as high as the budget had alloted, RIH Business Administrator Frank Ceurvels said that the district appears well on their way to replacing the old generators at both district high schools, which will allow the district to "protect our infrastructure."

The capital projects were among the largest of the district's recent initiative to update the plant of both regional high schools, which featured outdated equipment from as early as the 1950s and 1960s. Though reduced in scope---there will no longer be any work on lighting work done in the gymnasium, cafeteria, auditorium, among others---the projects came in under the $250,000 budget.

The reduction in scope cut a significant amount from what had been projected, though the negotiation process also played a role in the lower figures. Because the board had twice rejected bids for the capital project, they were allowed to negotiate a price with contractors.

There may still be the possibility of adding some of the reduced scope in the near future, as the district can draw from contingency funds, if available. The second phase of the initial project was to add light to some of the rooms, he said. "So we'll have to prioritize how much each room would cost to light and go from there," Ceurvels said. The old generators will also not be removed, due to cost. "Ideally, we'd move them out," Ceurvels said. "But it's not a problem."

The district has negotiated a contract with Manor II Electric Inc. for Ramapo HS, which totaled $241,872, roughly half of the lowest bid last time around, which they had also placed, at $522,580. The negotiated price for work at Indian Hills came to a total of $244,000 from Sal Electric Inc., roughly $100,000 lower than last bidding, which was submitted by Margonis Electric at $333,250.

"The projects are so different," Ceurvels said on why Ramapo's bid ended up being lower than that of Hills, despite the second bidding on Ramapo's project coming in almost $200,000 higher. Because of general logistics and the building layout, Indian Hills' generator project will cost slightly more than that of Ramapo's.

The district hopes to begin work on the generators this summer, though Ceurvels said that there is a possibility that work may bleed into the school year, where they'll do what they can to make sure it doesn't hinder the academic session.

Other capital work is going well, Ceurvels reported. He told the board at Monday's BOE meeting that asbestos abatement had been done, the demolition was completed, and the new boilers have already arrived.  He also said that work on HVAC systems in the district had been progressing smoothly as well.

"Everything is going great. Everything is on schedule," the business administrator said.