The chief operating officer for the Saint Joseph School District says a very conservative bid process led to a lower than expected pricetag for two new elementary schools. Rick Hartigan says the process encouraged competition, and it worked. He says experts were sure the Carden Park school could not be built for less than $18-million, including $4-million for dirt work. The low bid from Brooner Construction was just under $11.3-million, including $240,000 for site preparation.

The same conservative process was used for the new elementary school at Cook and Bishop Roads. Lawhon Construction was the low bidder at $11.9-million. Hartigan says nobody was left in the district since the last time a school was built 40 years ago, so he “started from scratch” setting up the bid process.