Burrell School Board to consider bids for Bon Air Elementary construction projects

The Burrell School Board will meet Tuesday to consider awarding contracts for construction at Bon Air Elementary School.

The board will consider hiring contractors for a cafeteria addition, air conditioning and boiler repairs at Bon Air, said Superintendent Shannon Wagner.

Bids haven’t yet been made public but architects previously estimated the project to cost around $10.4 million.

District officials said the cafeteria addition is needed to accommodate fourth grade classes when they join the school this fall, because of Stewart Elementary’s closing. Bon Air does not have air conditioning, and its boilers, and heating and ventilation systems, are from 1997.

The district already has taken out a $10 million bond to cover the project costs.

If the contract is awarded Tuesday, Wagner anticipates construction to be complete in August 2026.

The district also advertised an alternative bid that includes a cafeteria addition, air conditioning and boiler repairs at Bon Air and an additional classroom wing. But it’s unlikely that board members will move forward with that option.

That project was estimated to cost $15 million.

Tuesday’s vote is the latest on multimillion-dollar, proposed infrastructure projects within Burrell School District.

The board in May moved forward to advertise bids for HVAC improvements at the high school. The school does not have air conditioning. The heating and cooling project is estimated to cost $8.3 million.

It’s anticipated the board will consider awarding that contract in August. In the fall, the board would consider taking out another $10 million bond to cover those costs, Wagner said.

Construction is already underway on the high school boiler replacement project.

That cost about $800,000. It’s needed because the school’s boilers are from 1964, the year the school was built, district officials said.