Schools narrow list of construction candidates

The list of potential project management firms to oversee major remodeling at Bremerton High and Mountain View Middle Schools has been pared down to four.

A selection committee, consisting primarily of secondary school staff and community members, will interview the remaining candidates Monday and Tuesday before presenting their final recommendation to the school board Thursday evening.

The four potential management firms were chosen from seven proposals in a meeting Monday, July 25 at the curriculum library at the school district administration building. The finalists were notified of their status Tuesday.

The remaining candidates for the project management/construction management job are ESD #112 Construction Services Group of Vancouver, Wash., Greene-Gasaway of Federal Way, Heery International of Tacoma and JJ Henri Co. of Tualatin, Ore.

Kevin Ferguson, the schools’ finance director, said whittling down the list of candidates was no simple task.

“I think all seven of the firms that provided proposals are capable organizations. We were able to give four companies an opportunity to share how they would fit in with the district,” he said. “We hope to find a company that would provide a good fit.”

“They’re very professional. Each of them can perform the job that BSD (Bremerton School District) requires. They’re all good,” said Sharon Griffin, manager of the district’s facilities maintenance, planning and construction office.

It is what committee members refer to as a “cultural fit,” that is perhaps most important to the selection process. School officials want to work with a company that meshes well with Bremerton and the area’s revitalization efforts.

A separate selection committee met Friday to review the selection process for an architect and engineering firm for the projects. They will meet again Friday to determine which candidates will be interviewed Aug. 9-10. The committee’s choice will presented to the school board at an Aug. 18 meeting.

The bond construction will include adding new wings to the high school and middle school, with renovations to the middle school also including the addition of a large gymnasium and multi-purpose meeting room.

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