Horry County Schools officials quell fears about new schools, over-budget building contracts

About 22 Carolina Forest residents gathered to hear why the Horry County Board of Education awarded contracts to build five new schools to First Floor Energy Positive, a firm based out of Raleigh, N.C.

Joe DeFeo, board chairman, fielded most of the questions Wednesday night from the Carolina Forest Civic Association meeting but was aided by members Holly Heniford, David Cox and Ray Winters.

The meeting grew a little tense when John Kearsley, a Carolina Forest resident, asked why the district hired the most expensive firm. First Floor is contracted to build all five schools for $240 million, which is $72 million over the original budget.

“The budget was not the big concern with the board,” DeFeo said. “Our concern was if these schools were best for Horry County.”

“But as a taxpayer, it is about the money,” said Kearsley. “Why didn’t you go with the lowest bidder?”

Heniford, a board member, reiterated DeFeo’s defense.

“It’s not about the cheapest, it was about who could build the best schools,” she said.

After DeFeo explained the features proposed for the new schools, many of the attendees expressed excitement over the state-of-the-art buildings. The energy-efficient features, combined with open layouts and multiple collaboration spaces, make the schools worth the money for the school board.

And worth the money for Kearsley.

“I didn’t know all this,” he said. “I had questions and I just wanted answers, and I got them.”

Using a point system, First Floor came out on top during the evaluation process and was awarded the $240 million contract – which, including contingency costs, is $72.9 million over the district’s initial budget for the project.

First Floor’s bid was the most expensive, and a consultant suggested hiring M.B. Kahn Construction, which the committee ranked third but had the lowest bid and the most adjustable designs, according to documents obtained by The Sun News through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The board agreed to hold this meeting so the public could learn how the building process works and why the board chose the highest bidder, DeFeo said.

The lack of transparency during the selection process partially contributes to why the public has so many questions, DeFeo said. Most of the selection committee meetings were held in executive session, which means they were not open to the public.

“Next time, if we ever do this again, I’m going to insist most of these meetings be open and the news media is invited,” he said.

The civic association reached out to the board so members could get answers to any questions about the new schools, said Donald Hucks, director at large.

“With everything going on with the new schools, people have a lot of questions,” Hucks said.

Much like other areas of Horry County, Carolina Forest has experienced enormous growth over the past five years. The area is still growing – especially with young families – and the few schools there are struggling to hold students.

“We’re really outgrowing our schools,” Hucks said. “They can’t build them fast enough.”

With this building program, Carolina Forest will receive a brand new middle school.

DeFeo spent the first part of the meeting explaining the building process, from the development of the educational specifications and conceptual plans to how the selection committee was chosen. He also explained why First Floor was chosen over two other bidders.

“Thompson-Turner Construction was very close,” DeFeo said. “The only thing they couldn’t provide was the completion date we wanted – they would have been a year late.”

The board has pushed a completion date of August 2017 because of the overcrowding in area schools. First Floor was the only firm that promised to meet this date – banning weather delays – and guaranteed no change orders.

“Here’s the good news: I don’t think we’re going to spend any more money,” DeFeo said.

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 9:01 PM with the headline "Horry County Schools officials quell fears about new schools, over-budget building contracts."