Tom Oehler, managing principal at SHW Architects, said that since 2003 construction costs have gone up between 7 percent and 12 percent annually.
He said higher fuel prices play a role in the increase, but there are other factors.
“Hurricanes Rita and Katrina created a big demand on materials and created a shortage on materials nationally,” Oehler said. “At the same time China, with all their construction for the Olympics, has been dominating the scrap steel market. Those types of raw goods usually seen in good supply in the United States are becoming scarce.”
When the Belton school district went out for a bond in 2003, the district needed $26,890,788 for renovations. With a 7 percent increase in construction costs, those same improvements would cost more than $33 million today.
At the same time, Oehler told the board it would cost $43 million to build a new high school. Today, that number would be more than $55 million.
The district is gearing up again to plan for more new facilities. Preliminary demographic projections say the student population will increase by at least 50 percent by 2013.
Eric Haugeberg, assistant superintendent of support services for Belton ISD, said they are still in the early stages of planning and are nowhere near a dollar amount, but he says it will be much more costly for the district to build than in previous years.
“(In 2003) we were lucky enough to hit it right before the big increase in steel and copper …,” Haugeberg said. “Contractors around here are pretty busy and that has an impact on the bottom line also. There are more projects, so they can be a little more selective. So districts don’t get the cost benefit of battling over business they truly need.”
He said part of the planning process is to decide on a date when the district will absolutely need new facilities.
To minimize the costs for their new facilities, Oehler said, school districts are planning more thoroughly and using materials other than steel.
“The biggest thing is actually having a more detailed planning process, determining early what the needs are and determining a plan of growth. Districts are pre-purchasing sites and making sure they are working with developers to get sites with existing infrastructure, such as electricity and sewer lines,” Oehler said.
“Because of steel shortages we are seeing a lot of schools looking at low-grade masonry and tilt wall construction to help go to other construction methods,” he said.
Districts are also investing in energy-efficient designs so the electricity savings can help offset the cost of construction over the 40-year life span of a typical building, Oehler said.
The Salado school district is nearly finished with its new high school and managed to build it for significantly less than many similar sized high schools. Dr. Robin Battershell, Salado superintendent, said the $15 million building was constructed at around $113 a square foot while peer districts spent around $150 to $160. This is including the need to build an entire wastewater treatment plant because the city did not have any utility lines, Dr. Battershell said.
“We did due diligence in selecting an architect who could provide a quality building at a good price,” she said. “We spent a year planning, and we were criticized for taking so long. It has saved space and brought us a marvelous building at a low cost.”
She and her staff visited 15 different schools that were similar, picking and choosing features they liked and problems to avoid.
“Some schools, the outside was beautiful and the walls inside was a composite material that was already scabbed and scarred and just looked awful after a year,” Dr. Battershell said. “We did not put anything fancy on the outside, although it looks nice, but we put our money on the interiors because of the wear and tear.”
She said they watched the steel market very carefully and came to the conclusion that using steel would not be cost effective. They went with tilt wall construction, which is when the cement walls are formed flat on the ground then hoisted upright.
To save on electricity, the building is facing north to south to keep the sun from pouring into the large windows in each classroom. Dr. Battershell said the more layers, corners and nooks and crannies in a building, the greater the cost. The new high school has basically one long hallway, adding more classroom and storage space in the long run.
kchandler@temple-telegram.com
