Belpre City Schools Treasurer Lance Erlwein, right, discusses the upcoming school construction project during Thursday evening’s Belpre City Schools Board of Education meeting. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

BELPRE — The Belpre City School District is officially moving forward with the early stages of its long-anticipated building construction project, following the recent successful passage of a school facilities levy.

During Thursday evening’s Belpre City Schools Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Jeff Greenley and Treasurer Lance Erlwein laid out the initial steps the district is taking to bring the project to life, starting with bond sales and architect selection.

“In the last week since the levy passed, Lance and I have been extremely busy every day on conference calls,” Greenley told the board and public. “There are really two major plays to begin this process.”

The first step involves Erlwein working with financial professionals to issue bonds. These bonds are backed by the revenue expected from the levy over the next 37 years.

“We’ll pledge those proceeds through this bond process so that we can receive that money now, so that we can build the school and then pay it as we get the tax collections over time,” Greenley explained.

The second key step, which the board also voted on Tuesday night, is to begin the process of selecting both an architect and a construction manager at risk (CMR) — the two key external partners who will oversee the building design and construction.

“The architect is going to be the one that will design the actual schematics, the floor plans, what we do in the buildings,” Greenley said. “And then your construction manager at risk will be the one who will bid… and then work with the subcontractors and get everybody lined up.”

The district plans to use a selection committee made up of the building and grounds committee as well as internal administrative staff to score and evaluate incoming bids for both positions.

Looking ahead, the district has outlined a tentative project timeline. The goal is to have the architect and CMR selected by the end of summer 2025. Bond sales are expected to wrap up in early fall, with the design process beginning in late fall and continuing through the winter. Site work could begin as early as fall 2026, with full construction ramping up in early 2027 and an anticipated building opening in July 2028.

Erlwein also emphasized that the construction process will be governed by strict cost controls due to the school’s partnership with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.

“Every piece that we bid is a fixed sum,” Erlwein said. “So the contractors who bid on the various parts of this project know that they cannot exceed the number we throw out there. That’s how we control the cost.”

He added that any changes beyond the agreed bid must go through a formal change order process, requiring board approval.

“They cannot add one dollar in additional money to their bids… unless you vote on the change order,” Erlwein said.

During the discussion, a board member asked how many bids are typically received for each portion of a construction project. Greenley responded: “As much as the market gets us… There’s no limit, no requirement.” Local businesses are also eligible to submit proposals.

The board approved a motion which authorizes the process to procure design, consultation and construction management services for the capital improvement project. The school board also passed a motion which authorizes the district to issue bonds not to exceed $45,705,000 for the purpose of constructing the new school facilities.

The next regularly scheduled Belpre City Schools Board of Education meeting will take place Thursday, June 26.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com