Kalispell Public Schools trustees on Thursday awarded contracts to Hammerquist & Casalegno and Swank Enterprises to construct additions to Peterson and Edgerton elementary schools.

Hammerquist & Casalegno submitted the low base bid of $1,126,844 to construct four classrooms, a multipurpose room, kitchen and restrooms at Peterson.

Swank was the lowest bidder at $847,000 to build an addition of four classrooms and restrooms at Edgerton, a school the contractor originally built in the late 1980s.

The contracts with the district require that both contractors complete the additions by Aug. 15, in time for the 2013-2014 school year.

At a special meeting Thursday, trustees voted only for the base bid amounts on both projects.

They decided to consider alternate options in a little more than two months when they have more information on the cost of a new central kitchen, the third project included in the $3.35 million approved by voters in September.

At Peterson, the alternates on hold include an exterior canopy over a walkway ($46,020), a remodel of an existing kitchen ($3,347) and a new main electrical panel in the original building ($5,876). With alternates, Hammerquist & Casalegno’s bid totaled $1,182,087.

Edgerton alternatives were cabinetry ($11,900), a folding panel partition ($15,800) and lightning protection ($10,300). Swank Enterprises’ total bid came to $885,000 with alternates included.

School officials pursued the additional classrooms to alleviate overcrowding in kindergarten through second-grade classes at Kalispell elementary schools. Health and safety concerns at the existing central kitchen prompted school officials to ask voters to approve building the new kitchen.

After Thursday’s meeting, Kalispell Superintendent Darlene Schottle said that she was very happy with the bids, which came in close to the estimated costs.

“I think they were very fair and I’m glad we had the opportunity to provide local builders with the bids,” she said. “They’re right on.”

Bidders for the Peterson project were Hammerquist & Casalegno, Swank Enterprises, Meredith Construction and Martel Construction. The first three also bid on the Edgerton addition.

On both projects, there was less than 10 percent difference between the highest and lowest bids.

Tom Heinecke, an engineer with Morrison-Maierle Inc., presented the bid results for the projects designed by his firm. He had recommended that the board adopt all alternates for Peterson and two alternates for Edgerton.

In a summary distributed at the meeting, Heinecke calculated the overall cost of the Peterson addition at $1,337,900 after adding in engineering fees of $120,350 and a 3 percent contingency of $35,463. The project total was under the bond construction budget for Peterson of $1,370,382 by $32,482, or 2.4 percent less than budgeted.

Heinecke said he was particularly gratified by this result since the original budgets for both school additions did not include alternates or restrooms, a code requirement that came to light later.

“I feel pretty good about that,” Heinecke said. “We’ve gotten more building, more stuff and we’re still below the budgeted bond amount.”

He presented a different story at Edgerton.

The overall project cost with engineering fees of $86,000, a 3 percent contingency of $26,250 and alternates for cabinetry and folding partitions added up to $986,950, more than $75,000 above the bond budget of $911,917.

“You can see we are about 7 percent higher if we decide to go with the [recommended] alternates,” Heinecke said.

 He did not recommend the lighting protection although the existing building has such a system.

“If you look at the building, it has little spikes all over the outside walls and on top of the parapet walls,” he said. “That’s a lightning protection system.”

Heinecke said Edgerton was the only structure in the area when it was constructed but many buildings have seen been built around it, including one with a steeple about 300 yards away.

In the discussion of  options, Heinecke told trustees that the contractors would guarantee the alternate bid amounts for two and a half months except for the cost of beams in the canopy for Peterson. He said the beam supplier may increase the price by $800.

Trustee Don Murray asked if the district could cover the shortfall if the board accepted the recommended bids and alternates. Schottle said the district’s building reserve fund could probably cover it but said she still has concerns until bids come in on the central kitchen, including equipment and fixtures.

“I’m really happy with these [bids]. Where my angst has always been is with the kitchen,” she said. “Hopefully, everything is going to be good.”

Taking the route of caution, trustees voted to move forward on the base bids and wait for additional information before approving any alternate work.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.