June 2024 — Throughout the Prop SG process, the district’s priority has been to both invest and spend the bond monies wisely in order to gain the most from our taxpayer dollars for these building needs across the board. To date, the district has earned more than $2.275 million from the sale of the $20 million bonds, as well as interest on those monies, which can also be utilized for the Prop SG projects. In addition, through value engineering and continuing to take advantage of cost-saving measures with the expertise of our CMAR and architects, the district has identified a savings of approximately $346,500 over the course of the first four projects.

“Brockmiller Construction, KRJ Architects and Taylor Engineering have done a fantastic job as partners, looking for ways to save money and trying to solve issues proactively, so we are really pleased with the process so far,” Dr. Taylor said.

“I can tell you from other school districts we work with—especially north of here—your pricing so far is wonderful,” said Colin Rogers, President of Project Management for Brockmiller Construction & Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR). “You’re bringing in pricing with local subcontractors and economical and efficient designs, and you’re really yielding the benefits from all of those variables. We’re pleased to work here, because we know the type of subcontractors you have here in Ste. Genevieve and the type of quality they bring, because they do good work.”

Below is an overview of the current budget and approximate ongoing cost estimates for the Prop SG projects:

• Bloomsdale Elementary Addition: $769,000 (Completed)

• Ste. Genevieve Middle School Addition: $1.5 million (Completed)

• Early Childhood Center: $8.2 million (Bid total)

• Ste. Genevieve Elementary Addition: $4.75 million (Bid total)

The total for the first four Prop SG projects is approximately $15.2 million. The fifth project, an athletic wrestling facility, was projected to cost approximately $5.1 million for a total facility, which would include wrestling, restrooms and turf. With the addition of this facility, the total for the five projects is approximately $20.3 million.

Please Note: These cost estimates include General Conditions and CMAR fees, but do not include architect design fees and ancillary costs such as soils investigation, furniture budgets, sewer work, asbestos abatement, land purchases, and more. With these costs included, the Prop SG projects could total closer to $22.5 million.

February 2024 — The current timeline can be viewed here. It is important to note that these timeframes shift continually for the ongoing and future projects.

January 2024 — In the fall, the District was made aware of possible FEMA funding available for Ste. Genevieve County, which could be applied to a storm shelter for a District facility if our district were selected as a recipient. The District learned that we were not chosen as recipients for that funding, and therefore, the Ste. Genevieve Elementary gymnasium will not have a storm shelter integrated into that facility.

November 2023 — The District has been made aware that there may be FEMA funding available for Ste. Genevieve County. The District has submitted a letter of interest to be considered for that funding. Normally when FEMA funding is applied to a storm shelter for a District facility, it is in the form of a gymnasium. If the District were selected to submit a full proposal to FEMA for the funding and were to be awarded, this shelter would need to be incorporated into the upcoming Ste. Genevieve Elementary gymnasium or the upcoming Athletic Facility. As the Early Childhood Center designs are complete, we would not be able to integrate a storm shelter into that facility. The District should have a response from FEMA in the next month regarding the availability of these funds.

July 2022 — At its July 19, 2022 Regular Meeting, the Board of Education approved Brockmiller Construction, Inc. as the Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR) for the projects encompassed within Prop SG. The Board conducted interviews with the two top-qualified offerors, S.M. Wilson and Co. and Brockmiller Construction, Inc., as required in Board Policy FED: Selection of a Construction Manager at Risk, regarding their responses to the Request for Proposal for Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR).

In the past, SG R-II has traditionally used a Design-Bid-Build Option, but after consulting with area superintendents, many suggested utilizing a CMAR, given the scope of projects encompassed by Prop SG. A CMAR would act as an intermediary for the district, working with the architects on the implementation of designs, issuing bids as packages to best suit the district’s needs, acting as the manager of subcontractors, negotiating on prices with market fluctuations, and providing monthly progress reports to the Board of Education.

Selecting a CMAR is a multi-step process, including completing an RFQ (Request for Qualifications), which includes the company’s experience and past projects; an RFP (Request for Proposals), which includes costs and plans for the project; and an interview with the Board. Some of the areas where the district committee scored Brockmiller Construction, Inc. higher were local relationships, budget adherence, and fee areas.

During the interviews, both companies spoke to how they would strive to incorporate local subcontractors, which would enable the district to return citizens’ investment in the bond by utilizing those funds to invest in local jobs and partnerships. Board members shared that Brockmiller Construction, Inc. stood out in this area, as the company provided a list of local contractors from Ste. Genevieve County, as well as surrounding counties. Brockmiller Construction, Inc. also explained that as onsite jobs vary in their scope, the company doesn’t utilize a one-size-fits-all approach with subcontractors; rather, Brockmiller Construction, Inc. strives to use two or three subcontractors, depending on the scope of work that fits that subcontractor’s capability or company size.

Board members also shared that Brockmiller Construction, Inc.’s warranty timeline, as well as their proven accessibility and customer service following the completion of a project, spoke to the company’s care. Board members pointed out that Brockmiller Construction, Inc. shared their plan for keeping students and staff safe around areas that are under construction. As a whole, the Board agreed that Brockmiller Construction, Inc. presented a holistic plan, tailored to our community, and inclusive of the needs of our students, employees, and citizens.

The Board of Education would like to thank all of the candidates who took the time to participate in the CMAR selection process: Brockmiller Construction Inc., S. M. Wilson & Co., Zoellner Construction, and Holland Construction Services.

April 2022 — On Tuesday, April 5, 2022, voters in the Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District approved Proposition SG, a no-tax rate increase $20 million bond referendum, with 70.51% support.

“We are incredibly grateful to our community for supporting this impactful bond issue,” Dr. Julie Flieg said. “While the scope of this bond issue is extensive and would address needs districtwide, we are also confident that these improvements are necessary, timely, and will serve our students, families, and community well.”

Over the next few weeks, the district will provide updated information regarding timelines for various projects. Our architectural firm will begin to solidify plans, and the district will begin all necessary preliminaries to site work, such as ordering any relevant surveys. Projects will be put out to bid in packages, and the responses will determine when specific projects can begin. And of course, the timelines are dependent upon the availability of materials and scheduling construction work. The district anticipates possibly breaking ground on an Early Childhood Center about a year to a year and a half from now.

While our Facilities Committee developed a framework for what an Early Childhood Center might look like, specifics related to its development will be determined through an Early Childhood Committee. This group will include parents, educators, and community members. It is vitally important to include our stakeholders in the Center’s development of specific areas, such as building plan and design, reorganization of our current early childhood programs, before and after school childcare, transportation services, extended school year, and much more. 

This website will continue to be updated to share the progress of the project with our community.

The Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District would like to thank all of the employees, families and community members for taking the time to cast their votes on April 5, 2022.