14 November, 1968
Walter M. Tisdale
President Evan R. Collins
Campus Progress ont No. as 4
I attended the bid openings of the East and West Podium Courts and Dining
Terraces yesterday afternoon at the Construction Fund. Three bidders responded,
advancing costs on their base bids ranging from $483,000. to $566,000. Even the
lowest of these exceeded the estimated costs of the combined project by $165,000,
a percentage which makes it impossible to award the contract on the basis of these
bids. Accordingly, the Construction Fund has decided that it will be necessary to
rebid the project, after first reviewing the items that accounted for the big
discrepancy. It may be necessary, on the badis of thig review, to alter the
nature of the work considerably move than had been done in the past, and to set
our sights much lower. It may also be necessary to attempt to secure additional
funds, but this latter expedient doesn't havea much chance for approval.
A vebidding of the project will probably delay construction of these parts
by at least three months and possibly longer, but if the Fund moves promptly, we
could still be ready for construction when favorable weather arrives next year,
looking forward to completion prior to next winter. Thus, the realization of these
parts could conceivably take place during the presently planned construction season.
This represents the third abort that we have experienced in quick succession,
starting with the Whiteface weather project last spring, later the Planetarium, and
now the Podium Courts and Dining Terraces. This is a graphic illustration of the
advance of the construction market and high costs in this region right now. It also
emphasizes that bur architects have not been very good at estimating. Fortunately,
our architects are obliged to redo these without extra coste to us when they miss
their estimates by these amounts. However, it is inescapable that we pay the price
of delay. The only fortunate thing about the Courts and Dining Terraces is that
it is not.cruicial to our operations, bears solely upon our aesthetic environment,
and therefore, probably does not hurt as seriously as it might otherwise.
Ce: Vice President Clifton Thorne Walter M. Tisdale
Vice President Milton Olson
Me. H. David Van Dyck
Mr. John Buckhoff
