Board learns of $5.6M construction shortfall

GALVESTON — The Galveston school board learned Monday that it would have to come up with an additional $5.6 million to complete projects promised in the 2003 bond program.

The bonds generated almost $70 million for renovation and new construction across the district.

Unforeseen costs to renovate Central Middle School, delays completing the second phase renovating Austin Middle School and greater-than-expected costs building Crenshaw School on the Bolivar Peninsula were all cited as causes of the shortfall.

However, it was difficult, based on what administrators told the board, which factor accounted for how much of the extra costs.

“When we went into the bond program, we knew Bolivar was going over,” district finance director Alice Benzaia told the board.

But she did not say how much that job ran over the amount anticipated in the bond issue.

Andy Seaver, the district’s construction manager, said it will cost an extra $2 million to $2.5 million to make door frames, walls and ceilings at Central Middle School comply with state fire codes.

Then there is Austin Middle School.

When a judge stopped work there in November, Jamail Construction had negotiated a price of $7.8 million to do the work. That price came down as the district and Jamail went through five separate estimates, Seaver said.

Kelso Construction has since replaced Jamail in running the Austin job. It has told the district it can do the work for $13.4 million. In a memo to the board, Seaver attributed about $1 million of that to increases in construction prices due to last year’s hurricanes.

Seaver said that price could change in subsequent negotiations.