Plum seeks bids for O'Block Elementary addition, renovations; rough price tag: $28 million

After years of planning, the Plum School District has begun seeking bids for its large-scale addition and renovations to O’Block Elementary School.

The district released the project for bidding with a deadline for contractors to submit proposals set for Oct. 7. The school board will award contracts Oct. 28.

The project, supervised by HDG Architects and Eckles Construction, is estimated to cost about $28 million.

Construction at O’Block is likely to begin next summer and stretch into 2027.

As contractors search for work next summer, Plum Superintendent Rick Walsh said, now is the most competitive time to request bids.

“We have a ton of contractors calling us all the time asking for projects. We know there’s going to be a ton of people looking at this one,” said Brian Fulkerson, a project manager at Eckles.

The school will likely see a reorganized floor plan. There are expected to be new classroom wings, new special education classrooms, dedicated sensory spaces, dedicated space for music and band, and updated interior finishes throughout the building, among other improvements.

On the outside, O’Block will get a new front entrance canopy, a new roof, a new ADA-compliant playground and play area, a parent drop-off loop and several other updates.

That’s all in addition to improvements in the guts of the building, such as a new fire protection and alarm system, and updated HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems.

Walsh stressed that the massive project will make elementary education in Plum more “equitable.”

“This will bring stability to this community and something we can be proud of,” the superintendent said.

The addition is part of $30 million, multiyear building project in the district, which also includes ongoing renovations to Plum Middle School. According to district Chief Financial Officer Ryan Manzer, the work has been “progressing nicely.”