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DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The Davenport School Board has ended its contract with an Indiana architectural company after bids for a planned project came in about $5 million higher than expected.
The board voted 6 to 1 on Monday to discontinue its contract with CSO Architects of Indianapolis for improvements at Davenport Central High School, according to the Quad-City Times (http://bit.ly/1nBybXy ). The board's action followed news that bids for the project were about $5 million more than the nearly $25.4 million budgeted.
Board president Ralph Johanson supported the move but expressed frustration about the $1.6 million already paid to CSO.
"It's ($1.6 million) spent and we have nothing to show for it," Johanson said. "But, if we continue to move forward (with CSO), we're going to spend somewhere around $30 million total for something we thought would cost $25 million."
Several CSO representatives who attended the meeting left immediately after the vote without commenting.
The district last summer approved plans for an eight-lane pool, 900-seat auditorium, tennis courts and additional parking.
Superintendent Art Tate said the district would move quickly to hire a new architect and that officials would meet with the school board soon to discuss options for the project. Completion of the project had been expected in August 2016, but Tate said that would be delayed "well into the next year."
At a meeting earlier this month, CSO architect John Rigsbee said his company had underestimated the cost of some building supplies and didn't factor in the cost of the installation and erection of pre-cast wall panels. The size of the project also might have made it unattractive to bidders, he said.
The project is being funded by local sales tax revenue.
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Information from: Quad-City Times, http://www.qctimes.com
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