By Megan Kelley

Review Writer

GMB Architects Tom Van DeGriend and Mitchell Duyser gave their final summary presentation for phase one of the school bond construction projects, saying four projects would be going out to bid soon.

The presentation came during the Lake Orion Community Schools Board of Education met on Dec. 4.

“We’re very excited about this because this means that all of our design teams, as of today, have completed their work,” said Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Heidi Mercer.

Projects included in phase one of the bond include the Early Childhood Center (ECC), Carpenter Elementary, Webber Elementary and Orion Oaks Elementary.

“All four are through the design and development phase, which is the last time they get estimated,” said Van DeGriend. “They’ve all been through that process and Rewold (and Sons, the district contractor) has looked at them and all of the projects are within the expected budgest that we have for the projects…This is the time that we’re basically transitioning out of the design phase…into the construction phase for those four projects.”

Orion Oaks Elementary and Carpenter Elementary are both through the construction document phase and are “headed to the streets very soon,” Van DeGriend said.

By this, Van DeGriend means that the two schools well go to bid soon.

Orion Oaks’ projects alone were opened up for bids on Dec. 5. Carpenter bids will open on Dec. 17 and the Early Childhood Center and Webber Elementary bids will open in January.

Carpenter Elementary and Orion Oaks are slated to finish construction in 2020 while the ECC and Webber Elementary are expected to be completed in 2021.

Duyser then presented the board a summary of the bond projects, much of whichwas skimmed through due to the fact that the presentation was relatively unchanged from the last presentation they had given on Oct. 9.

The presentation included digital renderings of the four buildings, depicting a more detailed view of several of the projects.

These included renderings of the fronts of all four buildings, depictions of how the main office will look, media centers, STEM rooms and other outside views.

Voters approved a $160 million school improvement bond in November 2018.