Greetings from the TRHS Foundation. We are writing to provide an update on the second phase of our “Roosevelt for Generations” campaign. As you may know, we successfully raised nearly $1.2 million dollars to transform the existing library into a new Learning & Innovation Center.
Our campaign committee partnered with Neumann Monson Architecture and DMPS Operations to professionally estimate the scale and scope of this project. Bid requests went out at the end of 2022. When we reviewed the responses on January 24th of this year, we were disappointed to find that only two contractors submitted bids. Both were significantly over budget.
Unfortunately, our local construction community is experiencing what we are seeing across the country: labor shortages, supply chain issues, and a backlog of work that is inflating project prices. DMPS has confirmed this has become common at various schools across the district.
We remain committed to the Learning and Innovation Center. However, it was necessary to make the difficult decision to reject all of the current bids and reimagine the scope of the project. We will spend the next few months doing this evaluation. Our goal is to put an updated design out to bid in the third quarter of 2023. Construction would take place in 2024.
While the layout and materials may change, we are still confident that we can deliver a facility that includes:
· Flexible spaces to foster small group projects, collaboration, and critical thinking
· Full range of essential connectivity, technologies, and presentation tools
· A vibrant hub with infrastructure and resources to support 21st-century learning
It will take a little longer than we’d hoped, but the completed Innovation and Learning Center will be a hub for students, faculty, parents, and alumni. A space that everyone in the extended Roosevelt family can be proud of.
If you have any questions about the process, please reach out to Chris Diebel at 515-612-6599 or chris.diebel@trhsfoundation.org.
Sincerely,
Bryan Huggins Rose Green Board President Capital Campaign Committee Chair
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