Bingham demolition started, maximum price set for new school

The walls of the existing Bingham Elementary School started coming down the same week a proposal for constructing the new building was approved.

The Springfield Public Schools Board of Education voted June 23 to set a guaranteed maximum price for the construction at $24.5 million.

The amount was slightly higher than the original construction estimate of $22.8 million.

“Our demo phase is underway so it is moving along well,” said Shawn Dilday, executive director of operations, in the meeting.

Dilday also confirmed crews were working to save two murals present in the building so they could be placed in the new school.

He said even though the guaranteed maximum price for construction was higher than the estimate, the cost for the entire project will still come in under the $27 million allocated for Bingham.

A year ago, with $48 million in unspent funds from the $220 million bond issue approved in April 2023, the SPS board approved a plan to rebuild Bingham and extensively remodel Bissett Elementary School.

The deficiencies at Bingham and Bissett were identified by a Community Task Force on Facilities, but the projects were not part of the original list for the 2023 bond issue. The projects were added once the majority of the other bond projects were completed and unspent funds were available.

The original Bingham at 2126 E. Cherry St. was built in 1957 and added onto over the years. SPS has repeatedly described it as outdated and too small.

Nabholz Construction Corp. will build the two-story, 65,000-square-foot school on the existing campus with upgraded safety features, larger common spaces and ample natural light.

As the construction manager at risk, Nabholz reviewed bids from 124 subcontractors to set a guaranteed maximum price based on an 18-month construction timeline. The project is expected to wrap up in fall 2027.

Earlier this year, SPS approved $1.3 million to hire Paragon Architecture LLC for architectural services and Bumgarner Construction LLC for the demolition.