(The Center Square) − The Caddo Parish School Board has approved a series of major construction and renovation projects aimed at upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and auditorium facilities in schools across the district at its meeting this week.
The board reviewed bids during its recent meeting on Tuesday, awarding contracts that largely came in under budget and will be financed through bond and capital project funds.
One of the approved projects is the climate control upgrade at North Highlands Elementary, awarded to The Payne Company for $431,500. This total includes the base bid and three alternates, all within the project’s $500,000 budget. Another significant award went to The Payne Company for Phase 2 of the HVAC system at Caddo Middle Magnet, with a bid of $462,900. This project was also well under its $1 million budget.
At Huntington High School, Phase 1 of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning project was awarded to Reliance Mechanical, whose $749,500 bid fit comfortably within the $1.25 million allocated for the work. Meanwhile, auditorium renovations at Keithville Elementary/Middle School and Captain Shreve High School were awarded to Thrash Construction Services.
Keithville’s project was approved for $394,900, while Captain Shreve’s renovation was awarded at $395,000. Both projects came in below their respective $500,000 budgets and will be funded with capital project resources.
Two additional climate control upgrades rounded out the approved bids. The Payne Company will handle the Southern Hills Elementary HVAC project with a bid of $724,800, including the base bid and one alternate, staying below the $1.25 million budget.
The Caddo Magnet High School HVAC Phase 2 project was awarded to Hamm Mechanical for $1,092,000. While slightly exceeding its $1 million budget, the project will be covered with bond funds.
Each project was subject to Louisiana’s public bid law, which requires competitive bidding for all capital projects exceeding $250,000. Bids were awarded to the lowest responsive contractors within the required 45-day window.