Will bond be enough for Cypress Bay High expansion?

It will cost taxpayers twice as much as originally estimated to relieve overcrowding at Cypress Bay High in Weston, Fla., raising questions about whether the Broward County School District's $800 million bond referendum will have enough money to pay for all the promised projects.

The new cost to replace 61 portable classrooms at Cypress Bay with a permanent building is $19.2 million — up from $9.3 million.

Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Fla.

The problem, district officials say, is that a consulting firm they no longer use estimated the costs in 2014 at $143 per square foot. Instead, it's likely to be $225 to $250 per square foot. Also, the original proposal did not account for corridors, stairwells, elevators and equipment rooms, as well as larger program spaces required for various labs, special education classes, administration and restrooms.

"I've worked in commercial real estate for 20 years, and I've never had a contractor say 'this is how many square feet we need' and forget to include hallways and common areas," School Board member Donna Korn said Wednesday. "That's a huge miss."

It's also another setback for a program that has seen no major construction since voters approved the bond in November 2014. Construction at some of the county's most dilapidated schools was supposed to begin in the summer of 2015, but plans now call for construction to start this spring.

Board member Robin Bartleman voiced concern that the district will run out of money and questioned whether the scope of some projects should be scaled back.

"If we keep doing projects with $10 million increases, you're going to be eating up money for other projects down the line," Bartleman said.

District officials say they have a $220 million reserve set aside to handle increased costs for projects. They had warned in 2016 that the total cost of the bond program may increase by 25 percent, but the Cypress Bay project could be a sign the increase will be more dramatic.

Despite their concerns, the School Board voted unanimously to Wednesday to pay $1.7 million for architects to design plans for Cypress Bay, one of three schools where the district decided to build extra classrooms to reduce crowding. The others are Falcon Cove Middle in Weston and Flanagan High in Pembroke Pines.

District officials say the costs at those schools will likely increase as well, although they don't have exact figures yet.

Cypress Bay was built for 3,288 students, but actually enrolls about 4,700, making it the largest high school in Florida.

The rising costs at Cypress Bay, which was built in 2001, also led to accusations that the school district is pouring more money into a newer western school, while much needed repairs continue to be delayed for old decrepit schools in the east, including Northeast High in Oakland Park, Stranahan High in Fort Lauderdale and Blanche Ely High in Pompano Beach.

"For the people in the communities I serve, this is a hard pill to swallow," Board member Heather Brinkworth said. "They're not getting new administration offices or new special education classrooms or labs. They're getting renovations, repairs and retrofits, and for the most part minimal."

Jeff Moquin, chief of staff for Superintendent Robert Runcie, said the district plans to start work on the eastern schools before construction begins at Cypress Bay.

But officials warned the costs of renovating those old schools could also increase after architects take a closer look at the buildings and see what the true needs are.

Tribune Content Agency
Bond elections Florida
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