The Lake Central School Board has decided to pause the Bibich Elementary School expansion project. Director of Facilities Bill Ledyard asked board members to reject the project bids Monday, after they came in about 19 percent higher than budgeted.
"It's a very volatile market right now. There's a shortage of labor. There's an abundance of work. The pandemic has really messed up the supply chain, as far as materials and delays. We're also dealing with the Crown Point hospital that also has tapped into the local labor workforce," Ledyard explained.
The project would add 12 classrooms, cafeteria space and more parking. Ledyard plans to re-bid the project in the early spring and hope the market settles down by then. In the meantime, he'll work with architects and subcontractors to look for potential cost savings. That would likely push completion to the fall of 2024.
