CONTRIBUTED GRAPHIC — A rendering of the exterior view of the new and improved Miller Middle School from the east was part of a presentation delivered to the Marshalltown Community School District Board of Education on Monday evening.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a three-part series on the latest news regarding the Reimagine Miller project.)

The team working on Reimagine Miller are very comfortable with the state of the project’s budget.

Boyd Jones Construction Manager Pete Perez gave the Marshalltown Community School District Board of Education a budget update during a Monday board work session.

“We haven’t been before you to give an update on Miller since early April,” he said. “So you can see the evolution of the design, the evolution of the detailing is starting to really happen now. The other part of this is the evolution of budget and schedule.”

Perez told the board that they knew in April there was a budget stretch. He added that when it comes to a project of Reimagine Miller’s size and magnitude, they knew that would be the case. Currently, the stretch is $1 million over, which was brought down from $5 million in April.

With the project halfway through design development, Perez said there are additional opportunities to refine the budget further. For example, incorporating the floor from the old gymnasium into the design is something the team is looking into.

He said they have a 5.5 to 6 percent construction contingency in place to help keep the project going when encountering unanticipated things, such as new wall footings or excess rain.

“We may have to put precautions in place to continue to keep the construction activities going,” Perez said. “So that’s why we carry that construction contingency. So, we’re very comfortable with where things are currently.”

The team is tracking the market and economy, materials and labor. He added they know the details have to be refined to reduce budget line items, some of which have already occurred. For example, two demolition contractors have already walked through the facility to provide their insight into how they would tackle the demolition and removal.

“What we found, based on their opinion, is we could reduce that line item we had in the budget initially,” Perez said. “So, those are the types of things we will continue to do.”

They have engaged 28 contractors and suppliers before the project is even close to going to bid.

“The reason we do that is we want to make sure that we keep the pedal to the metal on contractors and suppliers,” he said. “The sooner we can take it out to market, keep folks interested in the project on bid day, those efforts will show themselves.”

Another source of detail refinement is some site characteristics which could be used as retaining walls, which are more expensive. Another characteristic is the west parking lot. Perez said they might be able to use part of it for storm water surface runoff, instead of putting in underground storage for the runoff.

“The effort there is to preserve as much of your investment and get it into the building and into the amenities that the teachers and the students will benefit most from,” Perez said.

They are also considering working with a design team on the foundations for the new additions. A couple options have been identified, and are being vetted.

“Those are the types of examples we continue to use for refinement of details, as I like to call it,” he said. “. . .We will continue to work with the budget and look for those opportunities to preserve your investment.”

Perez also gave the board members the next steps of Reimagine Miller, starting with completing the design in early August, which will also help refine the finances. In mid-December, he said they should have 50 percent of the construction documents and will gauge market interest before Christmas.

“We anticipate we will be going out to market between Christmas and New Year,” Perez said.

He expects bids will be received in early to mid-February 2026, depending on the market response, and mobilization should occur in the beginning of April 2026.

“So, that’s our budget and those are our next steps,” Perez told the board members.

Board member Leah Stanley asked Perez about the phases of Reimagine Miller. He told her they are ensuring that they have total understanding of code compliance. While preliminary phasing plans are prepared, Perez added that they want to take a deeper dive to make sure the staff know how it will work. More phasing details should be available in three to four weeks and everyone will know what will and will not be accessible at certain times, he added.

“Most important for us is separation of construction activities, exit/access points, students and teachers,” Perez said.

The total cost of the Reimagine Miller project, which also includes a renovation of Franklin Field at Franklin Elementary, is $106 million. During the November general election, voters approved $57 million general obligation funds for Reimagine Miller, and the remaining $49 million will come out of the SAVE (Secure an Advanced Vision for Education) fund.

Reimagine Miller will address issues the building faces such as:

• Constant standing water and moisture in the lower level;

• Lack of space;

• Gym, wrestling area and locker room renovation;

• Updates to the media center, kitchen and bathroom entries and exits;

• Updated aesthetics and;

• Inadequate heating and cooling.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.