By Pat Culverhouse
Construction change orders often reflect a cost increase in construction projects, but Webster Parish School Board members got a pleasant surprise Monday from their architect.
Perry Watson, managing partner with Yeager, Watson & Associates, said costs of a $5.877 million project at the North Webster High School football field and baseball/softball complex have been reduced by $60,538.
Watson said the savings came from a number of construction items where spending cutbacks could be realized without compromising the project.
“We had originally planned for a vinyl fence, but we found we could provide a fencing that would last longer than vinyl,” he said. “That gave us a cost decrease of $9,000.”
Originally, plans called for three washer/dryer units at the football field house, but Watson said studying the needs he found that two would suffice.
“We believe two units would be just as capable as three, and that would save us $16,000,” he said. “If, in the future, we see there is the need for another unit we can purchase it then.”
Replacing an extra-wide canopy with one seven and one-half feet wide would be sufficient to provide cover for students and would offer a savings of $12,000 Watson said. Also, adjustments to provide handicapped parking areas will equal a savings of $23,000, he added.
“We were building up to a flat platform at the football stadium with handicapped parking in the front. That would require about 70 feet of ramp to get to the front door,” he said. “We moved the handicapped spaces to the adjacent existing parking lot which will add to a nicer building front.”
Watson also told board members he is in the final phases of completing construction documents in order to prepare bid advertisements for another project in north Webster Parish.
Those bids will be for improvements and construction at Browning Lower Elementary and Brown Upper Elementary.
“Because of the nature of the project we believe we could combine these two campuses,” Watson said.
Advertisement for bids on the project is planned for July 30 with a date to receive bids set for August 28, he said. Results of the bids will be presented to board members at the September meeting.
Money for the project will come from funds generated through a bond issue passed for school projects in north Webster Parish.
In other action during Monday’s meeting, school board members:
• Adopted 2025 millage rates in the parish, announcing most rates are unchanged.
• Adopted the fiscal year 2025-26 salary schedules for school system employees.
• Agreed to update polices on a number of school system issues and approved additional policies. All reportedly have been vetted by the school board’s attorney.
• Heard dates, times and sites announced for the system’s annual Back to School Bash and Pack the Bus events.
Board members also voted unanimously to approve $270,800.65 in invoice payments from various school system funds. Those included:
• Consolidated Dist. 3 Maintenance Fund: $75,437.98. Major expenses were $23,150 to update the varsity football locker room at Lakeside Jr/Sr High; $18,868.98 to repair a water line at the Lakeside Jr/Sr High baseball field; $10,556 to purchase digital curriculum iReady Math for Lakeside Jr/Sr High; $10,525 to replace compressor, inverter board and two thermistor in fifth-grade wing at Central Elementary; $4,521 for installation wrap at front entrance of Central Elementary.
• Cotton Valley Maintenance Fund: $52,334. Total expenditures were $24,850 to install Crickets between roof drains for positive roof drain, furnish and install dourlast, refresh roof drains and clean debris at North Webster Elementary; $14,780 to install new sound system at North Webster Upper Elementary; $12,704 to purchase Kubota RTV520 utility vehicle w/canopy.
• Doyline Maintenance Fund: $31,523. Top payouts were $8,257 for repairing compressor and board at elementary section of Doyline High; $6,800 for heating unit repair at Doyline High; $6,100 to change out compressor, replace one control board, condenser motor and thermistor; $3,420 to replace motherboard in voice evac at Doyline High; $3,336 to repair VFD unit at Doyline High.
• District 6 One-half cent Sales Tax Fund: $85,387.76. Expenditures include $19,804 to replace old fabric and mulch on playground at J.L. Jones Elementary; $18,904.08 for installation of additional cameras and access controls to Parent Center Gate and access controls to interior front entrance doors at J.A. Phillips Elementary; $9,500 to prep, paint, install new acoustical ceiling, bathroom vanities, toilets and flooring in office bathroom at J.L. Jones Elementary; $6,777 to install vinyl and tint on glass entrance doors and purchase new signs for car and bus line and parking lot at J.A. Phillips Elementary; $6,600.54 for new student desks for two first-grade classrooms and plastic chairs for conference room at J.A. Phillips Elementary.
• Springhill Maintenance Fund: $23,209. Items were $11,847 for Tripper Building with EOD installed in field house at North Webster High; $8,962 for Hudl capabilities on football field and basketball gym at North Webster High; $2,400 for sprinkler repair at service North Webster High.
• Shongaloo Building Fund: $2,908.91. Payments were $1,848.91to repair intercom system at North Webster Lower Elementary; $1,060 to address hot spots in building at North Webster Lower Elementary.
