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<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; Among the 24 alternates the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board agreed to in the contracts for the new consolidated high school, the natatorium is by far the most expensive at nearly $3 million.</p><p>But others stand out, particularly the alternate for accelerated construction that would move &#8220;substantial completion&#8221; in 2021 from Oct. 1 to May 28.</p><p>Superintendent Brian Costello said the change should mean the district can have a traditional start of school that fall. Without the alternate, students probably wouldn&#8217;t be able to move into the building until the school year was about half over, he added.</p><p>The accelerated completion alternate affects five of the 11 major contracts and adds a total of $1.3 million to the $88.2 million total bid cost.</p><p>The board also opted for an alternate that extends the use of bullet-resistant glass. Costello said the base bid called for such glass only on the front door and large windows alongside the main entrance, and on windows in the cafeteria in the back. The alternate means the bullet-resistant glass will be used in all windows in the front of the building.</p><p>That option added $96,550 to the contract for aluminum and glass with Sterling Glass Inc., of Buffalo, N.Y.</p><p>Meanwhile, another alternate calls for a concrete patio with furniture and trees adjacent to the cafeteria. That adds a total of $106,486 across three contracts, with the bulk of it &#8212; $93,300 &#8212; going to sitework contractor Stell Enterprises Inc. of Plains Township.</p><p>All told, alternates added $5.47 million to the total cost.</p><p>The board did not award any contracts Wednesday. But it did vote to issue &#8220;notices of intent to award,&#8221; pending approval of paperwork submitted to the state as part of the PlanCon program that reimburses some construction costs.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board approved an alternate to construction contracts that would extend the use of bullet-resistant glass from only at the entrance (where the pillars are in this rendition) to the entire front of the building. The board also approved an option to accelerate completion of the entire project by a few months. alternate affects five of the 11 major contracts and adds a total of $1.3 million to the $88.2 million total bid cost. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_WBASD-CONCEPTUAL-RENDERING-FRONT-EXTERIOR-CMYK.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board approved an alternate to construction contracts that would extend the use of bullet-resistant glass from only at the entrance (where the pillars are in this rendition) to the entire front of the building. The board also approved an option to accelerate completion of the entire project by a few months. alternate affects five of the 11 major contracts and adds a total of $1.3 million to the $88.2 million total bid cost. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

WBA school board votes to pay extra for early finish of new high school