Work will begin in December on a new $4.2 million bus facility in the Everett School District.
The new site is in the central part of the district, off 80th Street SW just north of Highway 526 near the Boeing plant.
Transportation Director Terrie DeBolt said the site’s access to several major roadways is a big plus. “If something clogs up one place, we have lots of different options,” she said.
Buses also will be better able to reach all parts of the narrow district, which stretches from north Everett to Mill Creek.
The current facility is in the north near downtown Everett, while most of the district’s busing needs are in the south.
The district bought the new site in 2003 for $2.4 million. It was once leased to five tenants; the main one made crab pots.
A 24,000-square-foot building will be renovated to include a bus service bay, offices and a training room. Half the building would either be leased by the district or used for storage.
Work is to wrap up by summer. Funding comes from interest earnings, rental earnings and state matching funds.
Everett School Board members this week awarded the project to Anda Construction of Sedro-Woolley, the low bidder at $4.2 million. The project is being designed by Klappenbach Architects of Seattle.
In all, the district received six bids for the work. Each of them came in below the district’s $5.1 million cost estimate. The highest bid was $4.8 million.
“We were pleasantly surprised,” said Mike Gunn, the district’s facilities and planning director.
Several factors contributed to the favorable response, he said.
Winter is a slow time for contractors, and the prospect of doing a lot of interior work in the coldest months was appealing.
The construction market also has settled a bit; asphalt prices are lower, for example. Estimates for the project were made over the summer when costs for materials and labor were far higher.
The Everett School District has a contract with Durham School Services for busing. The company provides the buses and drivers while the district employs a transportation supervisor and coordinates routes.
The new site is large enough to house all 120 buses in the fleet, with room to grow by roughly 30 more. Some buses still will be parked in the far north and south parts of the district.
Reporter Melissa Slager: 425-339-3465 or mslager@heraldnet.com.
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