Ames School Board Selects Construction Manager and Sets Hearing on Sale of Old Middle School

The Ames Community School Board Monday chose Taylor Ohde Kitchell as a construction manager, set a Jan. 14 public hearing for the sale of 48 acres of the former middle school property and discussed what to do with the shuttered Roosevelt Elementary School.

The board voted earlier this year to use a construction manager for the elementary building projects using the Miller Avenue school as a test site before deciding to contract with a construction manager for the remaining elementary school building projects. Voters approved a $55 million bond referendum for the building projects in April.

Monday the board voted 5-1 to contract with Taylor Ohde Kitchell for construction management services for the Miller School first, despite community members warnings about using the process. Some people like Harold Pike have expressed concerns if the district decides to use a construction manager and bid the building projects in multiple packages saying it would escalate costs and more.

Board Member David Putz cast the dissenting vote, but it wasn't for the process. He said that he didn't like that Taylor Ohde Kitchell increased its prices along with the complexity of the project while CSI kept its costs at a flat percent. In a letter to the board CSI offered to charge fees of 2.95 percent of the project cost.

Taylor Ohde Kitchell staff, said in a letter to the district that it expected its fees to run 1.4 to 2 percent of the project cost for total construction of all schools and about $528,000 for the Miller School alone. If the firm were used for future elementary building projects they estimated that they would charge about $3.1 million if the district bid the projects in multiple packages.

“I can't imagine that things are going to go as smoothly as we think,” Putz said.

Middle School

The board also unanimously approved setting a public hearing on the sale of the former middle school.

An Austin, TX firm, Breckenridge Land Acquisition/Aspen Heights, offered the highest price of $2.3 million at an auction on Dec. 7. Requirements of the sale include that they take the 48 acres as is instead of waiting for the land to be rezoned and demolish the former middle school building within 180 days. The building hasn't been used since the new middle school opened.

Landowners of the adjacent property who call themselves College Creek-Old Middle School neighborhood association, have expressed concerns about Breckenridge's plan for the land. The developer has said the company would build student housing units capable of holding 900 students on the three parcels land. After winning the land at the auction Dec. 7, the developer said they plan to build single-family lots as a buffer between the Wilmouth Avenue neighborhood and the student housing development. However members of the association are concerned about the impact that 900 new residents would have.

A public hearing on the sale will be held 6:30 p.m. Jan. 14.

Roosevelt

The majority of the Ames School Board members present Monday, seemed intent on auctioning the Willson-Beardshear building in mid January and delaying the auction of Roosevelt Elementary until the weather warms.

Luke Deardorff, a board member who sits on the board's real estate liquidation committee, recommended to auction both the Willson-Beardshear building and Roosevelt Elementary but board members: David Putz, Mike Espeset and Rodney Briggs, said they were in favor of delaying the sale of Roosevelt, also a historic site. ACPC, a preschool and daycare in Ames, has expressed interest in purchasing the Willson-Beardshear building and nonprofits have shown interest in Roosevelt Elementary. The elementary closed in 2005.

Deardorff recommended donating the green space up to the edge of the blacktop at Roosevelt Elementary as a park and if the district received no bids at a Jan. 18 auction to demolish the building and donate the entire 3.4 acre parcel to be used for a park.

Putz argued for delaying the Roosevelt School auction because some nonprofits interested in purchasing the building are not yet sure what funds they would have available.

“We are not going to be remembered for what we create we are going to be remembered for what we tear down,” Putz said.

Board Members Briggs and Espeset sided with Putz and Board Member Bill Talbot sided with Deardorff. Teresa Simpson was not present. The board took no official action on the auction date.