The City Council has rejected the $39.3 million price tag for construction costs associated with the renovation of Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School because of a possible increase in costs to taxpayers, threatening to further delay the project on the eve of the start of construction. The council voted 5-2 against the so-called guaranteed maximum price, or GMP, acting in part on advice of Finance Director David McBride and Mayor Michael Passero. The move halts the awarding of contracts by O&G Industries, the construction manager, to the trade contractors who bid on the project. When taxpayers in 2014 approved the reconstruction of the high and middle schools at a total cost of $165 million, the middle school project had $55 million allocated to it. At an 80% reimbursement rate, the cost to the city for the middle school project would be $11 million. Councilors at a meeting on Monday appeared torn on whether to move ahead or risk months of delays if the project has to be rebid into a volatile construction market that could lead to higher costs.
https://www.theday.com/article/20210304/NWS01/210309713