News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company (KNCC) of Bend won the contract to repair extensive damage at Sisters High School at a special school board meeting on Thursday, June 14.
KNCC was the lowest bidder among five contractors, coming in with a base bid of $460,000. That was $98,000 lower than the nearest competitor. The school board had delayed a decision for a week while seeking a legal opinion on the bidding process.
Nagelhout was the major subcontractor on the high school building, which opened in 1993. The building has suffered extensive damage due to water seeping in behind the Exterior Finish and Insulation System (EFIS).
An engineering report commissioned by the school district attributed much of the damage to inadequate metal flashing along the roof. In addition, an accent strip that sits at a 90 degree angle to the wall allowed water to pool and seep behind the wall.
Nagelhout told the board that EFIS was a new product when it was installed on the school and that many techniques used then have been modified or abandoned.
"Unfortunately for this project and others of its era, the bugs weren't worked out by then," Nagelhout said.
The school district has opted for a completely different siding product for the repairs. The building will be sided with HardiplankÁ, a cement siding product that can be made to look like wood or stucco.
KNCC will also have to replace soffits that are sagging due to water damage. Nagelhout told the board he believes the water damage came from condensation rather than from water running in beneath the roof.
In any case, the materials used for the repair will be impervious to water, the contractor said.
Board members asked Nagelhout why his bid was 20 percent lower than his competitors. The contractor said that his company consistently comes in lower than the competition and that the bid has been carefully reviewed and is complete.
He also assured the board that the job will be completed in the promised 65 days.
"It's going to be tight, but yes, I believe we can," Nagelhout said.
School superintendent Steve Swisher asked Nagelhout to respond to speculation that he sought the contract in order to fix the building and make it right.
The contractor said he took exception to the terms "fixing the building and making it right."
"I'd like to show everyone that we'll come out here and do a first-class job," Nagelhout said.
Public perception was a concern for some board members, since many in the community are aware that Nagelhout was involved in the original construction of the flawed high school.
"Kirby, I don't think the question here is whether you can do the job or not; its clear that you can," said board member Heather Wester.
But Wester indicated that she was concerned about the public's reaction to awarding the contract to KNCC.
School board chairman Bill Reed interviewed numerous clients of KNCC, including Crook County High School's maintenance director and officials from Bend-La Pine School District and Central Oregon Community College.
Reed quoted extensively from each of those interviews, which offered high praise for Nagelhout's work and for the honesty and integrity of Nagelhout and his crews.
The board decision to award the contract to KNCC was unanimous; member Glen Lasken was on vacation.
Work on the repair project is to begin on June 20.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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