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POLAND — Poland Local School District’s board of education is evaluating companies for upcoming construction efforts.

Board members last year approved a master facility plan, called Building the Bulldogs’ Future that includes these upcoming projects.

Requests for qualifications for renovations at Poland Seminary High School, as well as for work at the new softball diamond, are being studied, said Edwin Holland, interim superintendent.

“We were putting the request out for design firms and engineering firms to give us qualifications,” Holland said.

The district will have to qualify an architectural firm or engineering firm to do the work. “You just can’t hire anyone off the street,” he said.

Six companies submitted their RFQs for the renovation, while nine sent their packets for the outdoor sports project.

At the next board of education meeting on Jan. 11, board members will be asked to approve the rankings, Holland said.

Once the specifications are received and looked over, the bidding process will begin, which will allow companies to submit their bids on the various work. That will hopefully happen next month, Holland said.

Once the costs are determined, the projects can be prioritized accordingly, he said. Permanent improvement funds will help pay for the projects.

Preliminary estimates for both projects are estimated to be at least $50,000 each, Holland said, which is why projects will go out for bids. The softball diamond work, though, could exceed $200,000, he said, with the cost of the building renovations not quite known, due to age of the structure.

“The older buildings, once you get into plumbing and other things, it’s a ballpark estimate,” Holland said.

Seventh- and eighth graders will make the move to the high school next year, Holland said, which is why the district is taking the first steps for the renovation process. The old board room, classrooms and restrooms are parts of the school that will be included in that project.

The outdoor plans include work around the new softball diamond, resurfacing the tennis courts and improving stormwater drainage, among other work.

afox@tribtoday.com