The Christian County School Board decided Thursday night to not accept either bid it received for construction of the Hopkinsville-Christian County Academy.
That was the recommendation of the administration, with Assistant Superintendent Josh Hunt saying it would be financially irresponsible to move forward with either bid. The base cost bids without any additional add-ons were about $203 million from A&K Construction and $199 million from DW Wilburn, over double the initial estimate when the process began and much higher than more recent projections that accounted for inflation. The motion to reject those bids was approved unanimously, with no further discussion held.
During public comments, Caleb Ballard said he feels a majority of the community is against consolidation, especially as the price continues to climb.
Board member Jeff Moore says that consolidation remains the best option for local students.
Member Lindsey Clark says the bids that came in were outrageous, and he’s hopeful they will have a new game plan going forward that will result in something he can support.
Board Chair Tom Bell says he continues to be committed to the academy style of learning and to making sure no taxes are raised to construct the consolidated high school.
The future of the consolidation project remains in the air for now with the rejection of the bids. In other action, the board approved an amendment to the agenda that removed an agenda item that included an invoice in the amount of $126,810 to Hafer Architects for the Hopkinsville-Christian County Academy project.