Architectural consultant Brian Templeton, center, reviews project concerns with contractors interested in building a gym for Cleveland High School. (Photo by Paul Leach)CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Bids for the construction of Cleveland High School's new gymnasium are scheduled to be opened Sept. 25.
Architectural consultants and school officials recently reviewed project requirements and parameters with representatives of six contractors approved to submit bids on the project last month.
"Our job is to make your jobs as easy as possible, and we want the building as quickly as possible, but safely done," said Dr. Martin Ringstaff, director of Cleveland City Schools.
The contractors eligible to bid on the project are Denark Construction, J & J Contractors, Merit Construction, Rentenbach Constructors, Rouse Construction and Tri-Con.
Work on the $9.9 million project is scheduled to begin in October and take 14 months with favorable weather, said Brian Templeton, an architectural consultant with Upland Design Group.
Plans call for a bench seating capacity of 2,700 people, rising to 3,500 if the gym floor and upper-level walking track are used.
Templeton said bid alternatives included in the project include a 3,500-square-foot weight room, cardio and aerobic spaces, acoustical treatment to walls and ceiling and an aluminum canopy connecting the gym lobby to the nearby science wing.
The Cleveland Board of Education will weigh bids "based on the value they can get," he said.
A number of safety and environmental concerns were discussed regarding building a new gym on campus during the school year.
A temporary wall will be needed in the lobby area next to the new gym, Templeton said.
Unless otherwise approved, a project entrance created during the demolition of the Raider Dome, which held the former gym, will have to be used by construction personnel, engineer Scott Nicholson said.
Contractors also may deposit excavated soil at the project site for a proposed city elementary school on Georgetown Road, he said.
The 50-year-old domed gymnasium was closed late last year after an unfavorable structural analysis.
Autumn O'Bryan, principal of Cleveland High School, said the loss of the Raider Dome not only affected the school's ability to host athletic and other events, but -- more important -- created challenges to providing physical, health and wellness spaces for students.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.