CHEBOYGAN – On Monday, the Chebuegen Region Board of Education approved a project worth more than $ 475,000 for a complete overhaul of science labs at Chebuigan High School.
Board trustee Roger Kronk said the county’s director of transportation, maintenance and territory, Steve Fleming, made a presentation to the board’s subcommittee on the project, to upgrade two science labs.
“That money comes out of the 2019 bond money,” Kronk said. “At $ 479,000, that doesn’t include the furniture that Nancy (Spray) is working on the furniture.”
The furniture – including tables, chairs and desks – will not fit into the new equipment placed in the renovated science labs, so it will need to be replaced. Chebaughan High School principal Nancy Spray will determine which furniture will be the most practical and economical in those labs, and which are the items they will purchase.
The Finance Subcommittee recommended to the full Education Committee to approve the proposal to upgrade the science labs as presented to them. The board unanimously voted to accept this recommendation and approve the payment to the contractors.
When the connection was first transferred, the school district wanted to replace a large portion of the equipment in the high school’s science labs, as it began to age and had to be upgraded for student use. Prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, the plan for the county was to upgrade the labs during the summer months of 2020, while the students were on summer vacation.
Cornerstone Architects put together the bid documents and put the project out for bids for the school district, but no bids were returned.
“The high school science labs are a bond project that has been suspended for several years due to the COVID-19 epidemic and lack of interest from contractors,” Fleming said.
Late last year, the county returned the project to proposals and was able to get responses to move forward with the project.
Grand Traverse Construction, outside of Traverse City, will begin laboratory upgrade work in June, with a scheduled end date for mid-June.
“They will be fully updated with new lab equipment, desks, desks, visual display panels, plumbing and HVAC, electrical, flooring and painting,” Fleming said.
Contact author Kortny Hahn at Khahn1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @khahnCDT.