The Great Falls Public Schools board voted unanimously during their April 14 meeting to award a $549,734 contract to A&R Construction for wall repair ane a partial roof replacement at Great Falls High School.

The contract includes the base bid plus drain replacement in four roof sections.

Work is scheduled to be completed this summer.

In January, the board voted to advertise for bids for the partial roof replacement at Great Falls High.

GFPS planning partial roof replacement at Great Falls High

The project was advertised with a bid opening on March 27 for staff to make a recommendation for the project estimated at $1,111,376.

The project was bid with alternates to allow the district to complete part of the project is the bids come in too high.

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In 2022, Cushing Terrell conducted a comprehensive roof assessment for all district buildings and found that the elementary schools collectively 1,039,305 square feet of roofing, while the high schools have 512,350 square feet.

The assessment showed that sections of the GFH roof were in poor condition requiring immediate attention, specifically the fieldhouse roof had had persistent leaks that pose a risk of further damage to the building’s internal structure if not addressed promptly, according to the district.

GFPS approves CMR roof replacement project [2023]

In August 2024, the district conducted a detailed walkthrough of the GFH roof to pinpoint the source of the leaks, revealing that many of the issues originated from exposed concrete masonry unit walls that allowed water infiltration.

Brian Patrick, GFPS’ director of business operations, told the board during their Jan. 13 meeting that costs have come down a bit from a post-COVID high.

GFPS claims $916,188 in state tax credits

Since the project is estimated to exceed $80,000, the district is required to bid the project under state law and board policy.

The bid specifications were developed by Cushing Terrell Architects.

The district received four bids for the project, but one was late and another incomplete, making them ineligible for consideration.

A&R Construction was the lowest qualified bidder at $975,031 for all aspects of the project, according to the district.

District staff worked with Cushing Terrell to determine that the base bid, which included three roof sections, plus new wall finished over three wall repair areas and replacement of storefront windows in those sections, was the most critical for replacement.

The district also included three alternates, which are drain replacements in four sections of the roof, with the funding available.

The project will be paid through the high school general fund, interlocal fund and building fund or any combination thereof.