Total bids for the proposed elementary school in Upper Macungie Township came in at $35,867,507, 2.4 percent higher than expected.

Superintendent Richard Sniscak commented on the amount at the school board’s March 27 meeting.

“On the whole, many came in very well but there were some surprises,” Sniscak said.

The building cost of $22,210,237 at $241 per square foot was lower than the anticipated $255 per square foot.

Bids for earthwork and landscaping, however, at $4,689,061 were $1.26 million higher than design estimates.

Off-site highway improvement bids came in at $2,239,192 and soft costs at $6,729,017.

Planners wanted to keep the cost no higher than $35 million.

Director of School Services David Keppel reported specifications were prepared by a team including representatives from KCBA architects, project manager Alvin H. Butz, Inc., civil engineer Terraform, and input from school district personnel.

Bid packages were sent out to 150 contractors with 82 being received and opened.

Responses ranged from nine for concrete work with two for landscaping and two for aluminum and walls.

Keppler noted Keith Zellner of the Butz Co. will be the construction superintendent on the site every day coordinating the work of the 19 contractors involved in the project.

He said an underground stormwater system instead of an above ground detention pond contributed to the higher than expected earthwork bid.

“This was recommended by Terraform because the area is prone to sink holes,” Keppler said. “It is the preferred method to handle our stormwater management but it is a more expensive way to do it.”

Sniscak noted a benefit of that method.

“With the underground water capturing system, the land above can be used,” the superintendent said.

Tom Daniels, senior project manager with Alvin H. Butz, attributed some of the higher costs to the steel and aluminum tariffs proposed by President Donald Trump.

“Things are going up,” Daniels said.

Keppler said some alternative bids allow flexibility for cost reductions.

Switching from terrazzo to tile floors, for example, could save $150,000.

“We’re going to recommend going with tile, which we have at Kratzer and Jaindl, rather than terrazzo,” Keppler said. “It would have been nice to have, if we could have afforded it, but the tile is a nice floor also.”

Bids and alternatives will be discussed by the board and district officials at committee meetings until final acceptance April 17.