The Governing Board of Benicia Unified School District will consider Hibser Yamauchi (HY) Architects for the design of Benicia Middle School’s portable replacement project at Thursday’s meeting.

The project is another item that is part of the Measure S bond’s Facilities Master Plan, which has already provided a new roof for the middle school and is currently working to install a new fire alarm system. Other proposed projects at the school include modernized classrooms, an expanded Multi-Purpose Room, new tennis courts and upgraded restrooms.

The portable replacement project seeks to remove the old portable classrooms on the lower part of campus and replace them with new buildings. The Oakland-based HY Architects worked with the district to develop the master plan and assisted with many of its projects and is being considered again for this project.

“Our specific scope of work will be to prepare design and construction documents, submit to (the Division of the State Architect), assist with bidding, perform construction administration and close-out,” architect W. Lee Pollard wrote in a letter to Measure S Bond Director Roxanne Egan. “The project schedule is to have the drawings available for construction in 2017, with the hope of starting construction during the summer, though it may be necessary for construction to be phased and extended into the fall.”

The total proposed fee for architecture, engineering, landscaping and other basic services is $322,850. With the addition of a possible topographical survey, the proposed fee would be inscribed to $332,750. The project was identified as a top priority in the Facilities Master Plan and will be funded through bond monies. The board is recommended to approve the contract for HY Architects to proceed with the project.

In other business, Egan will be presenting an update on Benicia High School’s stadium renovation project, including the approval of change orders that are approximately 2.5 percent of the original contract price. The board will also conduct a public hearing on a resolution regarding the efficiency or insufficiency of textbooks and other instructional materials.

The board will meet at 7 p.m., Thursday, in the Benicia Unified School District Board Room at the district building on 350 East K Street. There will be an earlier closed session at 6 p.m.

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