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The crown jewel of Greater Albany Public Schools‘ $159 million capital bond is now entering the construction phase, and general contractor Gerding Builders is seeking sub-bids for all scopes of work.

The start of a full rebuild of West Albany High School calls for 108,000 square feet of new construction. The school, built in 1953, will gain an auxiliary gym, a commercial kitchen, a cafeteria with a commons area, eight new classrooms and an administrative wing.

The addition, designed by DLR Group, will be located to the south of the existing high school. It will also include a new bus drop-off area, a separate parental drop-off area, additional parking, relocated tennis courts and a relocated shot put area for track and field.

Renovations include modifications to the existing stadium storage areas into new team rooms; modifications to the existing gymnasium roof, ceiling and HVAC system; a renovated restroom; and connections to the existing school.

Voters in May 2017 approved the bond measure for updates and improvements of school district facilities. The state of Oregon later awarded the district a $6.9 million capital construction matching grant, and because of that the district chose to sell only $152 million in bonds. Then favorable bond sales provided $28.5 million more to boost the total bond program to $187 million.

The estimated costs for the West Albany project rose as high as $62 million, the Albany Democrat-Herald reported in August. But value engineering dropped that figure by roughly $11.4 million.

Construction is scheduled to start in April and finish in time to accommodate the start of the school year in fall 2020.

All bids connected with this project are due by 2 p.m. on Jan. 23. Prospective bidders can learn more by emailing Mark Steinauer of Gerding Builders at [email protected].