Destrehan High School may have to scrap plans for a covered basketball court after the lowest bid for the school’s athletic facility relocation and improvement project came in at close to 30 percent above budget.
The project is part of Phase 2 of the school board’s master plan for physical education and athletic facilities and will lead to improved facilities at the school. When the project is completed, Destrehan will have a new softball field, with seating for almost double the amount of spectators the field currently can hold. The plans also include new tennis courts, a covered court with restrooms, a multipurpose building for indoor practice, and improvements to the baseball field.
The estimated cost of the project was originally $1.5 million, but was revised to $2.25 million in March. The lowest bid came from Quadrants Inc. of Baton Rouge at $2.9 million. Two other bidders, A.M.E. Services and Lamar Contractors, both came in at almost $4 million. A.M.E. bid $3.8 million, while Lamar sent a bid of $3.5 million.
Project architect Ken Zito told members of the board’s Capital Improvements Committee that he wasn’t really sure what happened with the bid, but he knows that it wasn’t a design issue because the project just calls for basic construction. Zito said that he estimated the cost of the project by calling local contractors and getting input on prices for the materials and construction.
“It might be time to call new contractors,” School Board member Dennis Naquin said.
Zito said that part of the reason that the project was above the projected cost was because the multipurpose building would have to be raised to meet the federal flood insurance requirements. He also said that the covered court, which he estimated to cost $600,000, could be the reason that the bids were so high.
School Board member Ellis Alexander questioned the need for a covered court in the first place.
“Why do you need a covered court when you have a gymnasium?” Alexander said. “The middle schools may have covered courts, but they don’t have gymnasiums like the high school.”
John Rome, administrator of physical plant services, told the committee that the covered court would be beneficial to Destrehan.
“Right now, all of the teams are vying for limited space at the same time,” Rome said. “This would provide more space for band, cheerleading and other sports to use in case of inclement weather.”
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