Neosho board sets maximum price for performing arts center

Jul. 27—NEOSHO, Mo. — The Neosho Board of Education last week approved a series of bids and alternates for a new performing arts center at Neosho High School that place its maximum price slightly above $19 million.

Officials with Branco Enterprises, the district's construction manager for the project, outlined a package of base bids with maximum values of $16,148,248.

Board members felt good enough about that base to approve 11 bid alternates valued at $1,309,206. The alternates include renovation of existing classrooms into a theater, drama and speech area, renovation of the current auditorium into a choir classroom, a folding partition wall for the band room, renovation of a dressing room, an orchestra pit cover, additional wireless mics, and more.

Those figures combined with $1,754,152 million in additional construction costs, with variances for fluctuations, and a 1.9% management fee of $354,372 add up to $19,565,978, but $560,425 in discounts marked as "value engineering" take the final maximum price to $19,005,553.

"We hope things come to fruition that would save us money," Superintendent Jim Cummins said. "That's how the construction manager system works. They have been involved with the architects since the beginning of the project, working on the construction ability and pricing for different things."

An actual price will not be determined for at least a few months, Cummins said. Sometime in December, he anticipates being able to cite how much needs to come out of the district's reserves to complete the project.

The performing arts center is the biggest project in a series of building projects approved by voters in June 2020. The 36,130-square-foot project will include a performance auditorium with seating for about 1,500, fly loft, acoustic treatments, orchestra pit and sound system, as well as expanded classrooms for the band, choir and theater programs. The theater will be big enough for small touring events.

Some construction work on the grounds has already begun, Cummins said, and Hill Street north of the high school has been closed in preparation for its relocation and realignment with Patterson Street west of Neosho Boulevard.

A formal groundbreaking ceremony for the performing arts center will be scheduled once school resumes, Cummins said.

"We have an official construction start date of Aug. 2," Cummins said. "As far as a more theatric groundbreaking ceremony, we want students back for that, so I suspect it will be set for sometime after the start of school."

The package, known as Neosho's Next Step, increased the district's levy by 39 cents to $3.74 per $100 of assessed valuation. Other projects include a new field house and concessions plaza, under construction, and safe rooms at the district's final buildings without them. The levy should raise about $22.5 million of the estimated $32 million total costs.

The district is pursuing other funding mechanisms to reduce the amount withdrawn from reserves, Cummins said:

—It recently received approval from FEMA to construct a shelter at Benton Elementary; FEMA will contribute about $1.8 million of that project's about $3 million cost.

—It has received about $700,000 in pledges for naming opportunities and hopes to raise more, Cummins said.