February 2, 2023

Bethel shortlists contractors for new $173.5M high school

Image from Bethel Schools document [enlarge]

The new Bethel High will be two stories tall and 285,000 square feet.

Bethel School District has shortlisted the firms seeking the general contractor/construction manager contract for the replacement Bethel High School, which has a project cost of $173.5 million.

These four firms will now compete in the next stage of the selection process: Absher Construction, Skanska Construction, Cornerstone General Contractors and BNBuilders. The DJC reported in December that the district intends to award the contract on Feb. 17, but would need final approval by the school board, expected on Feb. 28. With approvals in place, a contract could be signed on March 1.

The 285,000-square-foot replacement school will be one of the district's largest projects ever. It will be built on 98 acres the district owns at 224th Street East and 77th Avenue East in the Graham area, across from North Star Elementary.

The school will have a capacity of 1,800 students within two levels and multiple wings and courtyards. It also will have student, staff and bus parking areas, as well as tennis courts, sports fields and associated infrastructure improvements.

Construction is expected to start in March 2024, with substantial completion in April 2026. The school would open that fall.

Project documents indicate the GC/CM will be brought onto the team when design and documentation is mostly finished. Because of this, the preconstruction design phases will differ from the traditional schematic design, design development and construction document phases found in GC/CM projects. The district says it decided to go with the GC/CM process due to the complexity of the project in areas such as scheduling, phasing and coordination.

The design team is led by NAC Architecture. It also includes: Coughlin Porter Lundeen, structural engineer; Sitts & Hill Engineers, civil and surveyor; BCE Engineers, mechanical and electrical; and Weisman Design Group, landscape architect.

The DJC previously reported these firms are also on the team: RC Cost Group, cost estimator; Migizi Group, geotechnical engineer; Aspect Consulting, hydrogeologist; Raedeke Associates, wetland and habitat; Stantec, lighting study; Landau Associates and Ramboll, noise and air quality; Historical Research Associates, cultural resources; EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, SEPA documentation; Heffron Transportation, traffic; Hainline, GC/CM consultant; Perkins Coie, district construction counsel; and Mary J. Urback PLLC, district land use counsel.