Twelve Bridges High price set at $76 million

The Western Placer Unified School District Board of Trustees made a concrete step Tuesday toward the completion of Lincoln's second high school.The board unanimously voted to approve a guaranteed maximum price of $76,140,-087 for the construction of Twelve Bridges High School, located near Twelve Bridges and Fieldstone drives.Superintendent Scott Leaman presented the project, stressing the figure came from hours of work and revision to pare it down as much as possible."There's been a lot of background work into this number, and is this number reasonable in today's market? The answer I need to tell you is yes, it is," he said.In an effort to make the future high school different from Lincoln High, the plan includes an aquatic center for the site, at the expense of a secondary gymnasium and football stadium. It will still include a football field and track, and the primary gym will include a sports curtain to allow two teams to practice at once.The blueprint includes space for both projects with the hope they can be phased in at a later time when more funds become available, Leaman said.Although Leaman said cutting facilities was the last thing they wanted to do, he was excited by the prospect of an aquatic center, something the city is in need of. He said it came down to a question of, "What specific and unique aspects do these schools have? Suddenly Lincoln High School has this premier stadium and Twelve Bridges High School will have a wonderful aquatic center."With prices continuing to escalate, approval of the funds by the board came not a moment too soon. "A lot of this is going to unravel unless we get this show on the road," Leaman said.Of the $76 million, about a third is expected to be covered by state funding. The rest will come from bonds.Board members raised a few concerns but overall agreed with the plan. "We appreciate your work to get the best price on this," Board President Dennis Sonnenburg said. "You've done the best you can do to get this project launched."Member Earl Mentze also thanked Leaman and his team for their efforts. "It's interesting how it takes this many people to be courageous and push to do what you've done. Now, we've got to get going." In other news, Facilities Superintendent Roger Yohe assured the Board that Twelve Bridges Middle School will open as planned for the upcoming school year. Some landscaping plans have been rushed to make as many facilities available as possible when students come next week. Classrooms will be completed for the opening, with the gym expected completion of the gym by Sept. 15 and the joint-use fields by Oct. 18. The campus boasts more than 600 trees, 300 lavender plants and 500 creeping myrtles.