The Gasconade County R-2 Board of Education Dec. 16 invited potential architects and contract managers to the district to review projects to be completed with funds from a potential April 2023 No-Tax-Increase Bond Issue (NTIBI) and submit a request for qualifications (RFQ) bid.

“Architects, CMAs (Contract Manager Advisors) and CMARs (Contract Manager Advisors at Risk) were invited,” Hardy said. “About 10 companies were represented with 20 people in attendance.”

Maintenance and Transportation Director Gary Pohlmann took the group on a tour of both the middle and high school campuses to have a better understanding of what the district wants to accomplish.

“We had a boardroom full of architects, CMAs and CMARs that come down and we talked about the project,” Hardy said. “It was really good to see that many architects, CMAs and CMARs for that project.

Hardy said the companies should be able to put together a better RFQ if they have a visual of what the district is trying to accomplish.

“An RFQ will tell us which people meet the qualifications we need,” Hardy said. “They will send a proposal and see who is most qualified.”

Hardy said the group seemed upbeat.

“We are really excited to see what they’ve got for us,” Hardy said.

Some of the projects explained to the potential contractors and architects included additional safety features at each building, ways to increase energy efficiency and increase available learning space with the addition of a performance theater that would open existing classrooms to new opportunities.

“Some of the projects that are on the list, such as playground equipment, looking at the Gerald Elementary School gym and the hallway there — that is something that we wouldn’t necessarily have to go with an architect, CMA or CMAR,” Hardy said. “We could go with a design-build when the time comes.”

RFQs are due Jan. 2 via mail or email to the district’s Administrative Office.

Board President Glenn Ely explained the board’s next step.

“So the first part is that we are interviewing qualified (staff) and that is our first hurdle,” Ely said. “Then our diligence is to have a good understanding of what we want. We are going to tour four of five schools with recent projects to get an idea. Then with the bond we can move forward with the administration of contracts and engineering. It is a step process, but everywhere there is a chance to be deliberate and informed as we move through it.”

The board plans to tour neighboring districts’ theaters on Jan. 9, including Sullivan, St. James, Union, Hermann, Rolla and St. Clair. 

They will meet on Jan. 11 to review RFQ proposals.