A visual assessment of the Washington Middle School was recently conducted by Estes Construction as part of the Iowa Construction Advocacy Team and their findings were presented at last night’s school board meeting. The walk through visual assessment did not include an engineer’s structural investigation.

The company examined four facets of the building – health, life and safety requirements (such as asbestos tile abatement), interior improvements, exterior improvements and capitol improvement options, such as the band and choir room or remodeling the auditorium. The projected cost for the safety requirements, interior improvements and exterior improvements ranged from $9.7 million to $11.8 million.

Adding the capitol improvement options increased the scope of the project to a total $13.2 million to $16.1 million.

Pete Perez with Estes Construction said there was nothing alarming during the process but the group does not give recommendations. No action was taken by the Washington school board and the option to prioritize projects was discussed.

Washington Middle School – low; median; high
1. Health & Safety Requirements – $2,162,200; $2,378,500; $2,573,700
2. Interior Improvements – $6,499,400; $7,193,800; $7,888,800
3. Exterior Improvements – $1,081,100; $1,181,200; $1,307,600
4. Capitol Improvement – $3,504,000; $3,893,200; $4,306,200
Total budget with options – $13,246,700; $14,646,700; $16,076,300