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Eugene Field options: How much work, at what cost?

By Kristine Thomas

What would it cost to renovate Eugene Field Elementary School?

The answer to that question lies in first defining the work that needs to be done to bring the building up to code and make it usable for the next 50 years.

Silverton resident Gene Pfeifer believes Eugene Field Elementary School could be remediated for $4.5 to $6 million. He presented his option to the Silver Falls School Board in March.

A Dec. 18, 2013 report by BLRB Architects estimates it would cost $10.68 million for major renovations to the 93-year-old elementary school.

Determined to listen to every option, board members asked that Pfeifer’s proposal be reviewed by school board member Wally Lierman, who is the project manager for Intel; Bob Collins with Day CPM, and Zach Stokes with ZCS Engineering.

At the April 7 board work session, Collins and Stokes said Pfeifer’s proposal doesn’t include projects that would need to be done  and it assumes the district would absorb project costs outside the budget.

In his summary, Collins wrote he believes Pfeifer’s plan is “incomplete and inaccurate” in areas including seismic upgrades, interior remodeling and moderation that would need to take place after seismic upgrades, numerous costs to be assumed by “owner,” the assumed acquisition of a city street and does not address full-day kindergarten, special education or enrollment.

For example, Collins wrote, “The Remedia-tion Budget does not aququetly reflect regulatory or compliance requirements by the city.., Marion County or ODOT.”

Pfeifer contends his plan would save money while allowing the work to be done over two summers. He says his work was verified by Jim Schiess with Dalke Construction.

Schiess said he reviewed Pfeifer’s budget and the work outlined in the proposal could be done for what Pfeifer said. However, Schiess added, that doesn’t mean that is how much it would cost to remediate the building. He estimates the cost falls between what Pfeifer and BLRB budgets.

What community members need to understand, Schiess said, is the cost can’t be determined until there is a defined scope of what needs to be done to the building.

“I don’t know what the right answer is on how much it would cost until I know what needs to be included in the project,” he said, adding there were items in Pfeifer’s budget that were the responsibility of the “owner” or school district to fund – apart from the projet budget – as well as items that simply weren’t included.

In a letter to Lierman, Schiess wrote “I have not spent an inordinate amount of time on the project … I was just substantiating costs from a walk-thru and scope.”

In a letter to school board chairman Tim Roth, Pfeifer said he “personally agreed that the needs for (Eugene Field) may no longer be procrastinated; but do not agree that closing the school is the solution.”

Pfeifer’s proposed $4.4 million budget includes the architectural and engineering, permits. A 10,000 square foot addition for expanded functions would cost and additional $1.5 million. He proposes a bond measure for $8 million to remediate Eugene Field and fix other schools or $10 million with $6 million going to Eugene Field and $4 to rural schools.

“No, it will not be new,” Pfeifer wrote, “however it will be cherished, last and perform like new for 100 years or more.”

Lierman said in a letter to Schiess that the board hasn’t defined the scope of work.

“The numbers used in your estimate are low, based on the metrics and type of work that I’m used to working with. A greater concern is that with the project work that you are assuming will be done, significant scope is missing and inaccurate assumptions are being made. Items of note … re-plumbing of the building not included, the assumption that you can access the crawl space of the structure, and the unknown number changes that will be required by the city, county and ODOT…”

Lierman added the discussion is premature. “I believe that the entire board understands the importance of undertaking a project in a very cost sensitive manner, but at the same time we need to define a project that will meet the educational needs and also meets the community and taxpayer expectations. I don’t believe that we can establish a cost target for a project, before the high level scope of work is defined.”

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