Rising Costs Killing School Renovation

Boise School Board members are turning away from plans for a sweeping renovation of historic Boise High School and looking at new Les Bois Junior High to answer their needs for a bigger secondary school.

A jump of nearly $5 million in the projected cost of the Boise High project appears close to killing it.

School trustees see little chance of saving the renovation they spent three years planning. Builders say Boise High will cost millions of dollars more than architects thought because the work requires meshing old buildings with new, gutting decades-old rooms and creating a custom school building unlike any other.

Architects have a week to find a way to do the first phase of the project for one-third less than builders say.

Problems with Boise High’s design surfaced Sept. 7 when bids for what was projected as a $10.5 million project came in at $15.1 million to $15.3 million. Although 10 contractors picked up bid packets, only three bid.