Morris High School approves $2,180,000 low bid for new elevator addition

The Morris Community High School Board approved a $2,180,000 low bid by R. L. Sohol General Contractor to build an elevator addition that will cover the high school’s five levels.

Superintendent Craig Ortiz said the elevator project has been under consideration since at least 2010.

“At that time, a decision was made to delay it because the costs had increased substantially from the original estimate,” Ortiz said. “Of course, the costs have continued to increase, but so has the need.”

Ortiz said handicapped students rely on a wheelchair lift right now, which is slow and causes students to miss class time. It can also only move one student at a time, and it’s prone to break downs that can take a long time to repair. The new elevator will also be used for moving heavy furniture and machines.

The board received a letter describing the scope of the work from Alan Crovetti with GreenAssociates, which was relayed to the members Monday night.

Crovetti said the project includes the construction of a three-story addition between the 1949 original building and the 1959 building addition, which will allow handicap access to five floors. It includes alterations to the basement, first and second floor classrooms and corridor spaces adjacent to the building addition.

The alterations include partitions and room finishes, mechanical and HVAC, electrical, plumbing tie-ins and upgrades. It also includes improvements to the storm water drainage utility to redirect storm water away from the staff parking lot and the building. The project will rework basement window infills to address the lower level water problems.

Crovetti said in the letter that bids were rejected by the board in the fall after they were found “unresponsive to the bidding requirements,” which requires the elevator purchase to be included in the building addition bid package. GreenAssociates reviewed the project with Dan Matzen of R. L. Sohol General Contractor, who he said understood the projects’ scope and agreed to the schedule.

R. L. Sohol General Contractor has worked with the district in summer 2023, and GreenAssociates had good experiences working with them in the past according to Crovetti’s letter.

Work on this new addition will begin in March.