BROWNSTOWN
A project expected to start soon will add 63 parking spots and provide better access to the main entrance at Brownstown Central High School.
During a recent meeting, the Brownstown Central Community School Corp. board of school trustees unanimously approved awarding the north parking expansion project to King’s Trucking and Excavation of Seymour.
With a bid of $327,785, the company actually was the second lowest of four bidders. Lawyer Excavation Inc. of Seymour was the lowest at $273,000, but after opening the bid, Kovert Hawkins Architects of Jeffersonville received a call from the company saying it had made a clerical error and wanted to withdraw its bid.
The other bids were $329,805 from All Star Paving Inc. of Seymour and $348,790 from Dave O’Mara Contractor Inc. of North Vernon.
Assistant Superintendent Jade Peters recommended the board accept King’s bid, which includes $40,000 of contingency money built in.
“So if everything goes smooth, it will actually be $40,000 less than that,” he said of the submitted bid.
Peters said the plan is to start the project June 1, and the goal is to be done in 45 days, which would be before the new school year starts in August.
The new parking spaces will be added on the south end of the parking lot. The four existing islands will be removed, and new smaller ones will be put in place. A new pole with an LED parking lot light fixture will be put on two of the new islands, and the other two will be sodded.
The existing parking lot also will be resealed and restriped.
On the south end of the parking lot, a new 6-foot-wide concrete walkway will be added with four Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access points. One of them will be on the new concrete walkway that will go straight into the front doors of the school.
“Which makes it nicer to our front door by the main office because now, we will have parking spots closer to that main door,” Peters said.
The parking lot being extended, the new concrete walkway being installed and the parking lot exit shifting south will result in the grassy area that’s currently north of the track being removed.
The added parking spaces will be beneficial during football games that draw large crowds or when multiple events are going on at the same time at the school. The auditorium also is in that area.
“It’s going to add more spots for that, as well. It’s a win-win for everybody,” Peters said.
Since the project has been discussed for several years, he said school officials are glad it’s now being put into action.
“With it being in our capital projects plan, we’ve just finally got it done,” Peters said.