Four local contractors have submitted what are described as “very competitive bids” for the construction of a new school at Carden Park.

The St Joseph Board of Education will review bids and is expected to award contracts by its April 8 meeting.

The board will also consider bids for the new school to be built at Cook and Bishop Roads and for the air conditioning of several elementary schools.

District officials will open the bids for the “northeast” school on March 28.

The lowest base bid for the Carden Park project came in at $11,168,861.00 That bid came from Brooner Construction. Three other local contractors bid: E.L. Crawford Construction ($11.7 million); Lawhon Construction ($11.493 million); and Lee Grover Construction ($12.193 million).

Rick Hartigan, Chief Operating Officer for the District, said the District will carefully review the bids, which consist of a base bid and numerous alternates. “We’ll sit down with our staff and River Bluff Architects and analyze the numbers to see which alternative bids we want to take,” Hartigan said.

Among the alternate bids: a walking trail, fencing for the trail, a bitumen roof, gym equipment and bleachers. Separate pricing for food service equipment, security work and equipment, and instructional technology cabling and equipment were included in the bid.

Each general contractor had to submit a list of the subcontractors they plan to use on the project, as well as post a bond.

Mr. Hartigan said that the District has $42 million in bond revenue, as approved by the voters, for the new construction and air conditioning. He said the District staff will present both new school construction bids, plus the air conditioning bids to the Board.