The Marion County School Board will vote on whether or not to enter into a $2.9 million contract with a South Florida-based company that is hoping to design a new middle school in Silver Springs Shores.
The matter will come before the board during its regular meeting on Tuesday, July 9, at 5:30 p.m., in the school board’s meeting room (1614 E. Fort King St).
According to county records, staff has negotiated a contract for “Architectural Design Services” with Harvard Jolly Architecture, a West Palm Beach-based architecture firm that bills itself as “one of the largest firms in Florida.”
The 85-page “standard design professional services agreement” calls for the design and project management of the “New Middle School ‘DD’, 24-130.”
The school will be located on Parcel 37506-002-00 in Silver Spring Shores. It is situated just over a mile northwest of Lake Weir High School and just over a mile northeast of Emerald Shores Elementary School.
According to county records, the contract calls for over $2.9 million in payments during the various stages.
Over 63% of the contract’s cost will be paid out in three design phases: Schematic Design ($522,305), Design Development ($435,254), and Construction Document ($870,507).
Founded in 1938, Harvard Jolly currently has offices in several cities across the state, including St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Jacksonville. This year, the company reported hourly billing rates of $215/hour, with the lowest of those (administrative) coming in at $90/hour.
The contract calls for the company to assist the county in various stages of development, from selecting a contractor, to managing the details of the project.
According to county records, the contract will “reuse the existing architectural design for West Boynton Middle School,” with the firm tasked to account for any building code changes as required by state law.
According to Palm Beach County School records, West Boynton Middle School consists of four buildings totaling 155,000 total square feet.
That school is comprised of a 105,000-square-foot, 3-story building with administrative offices, classrooms, and media, as well as two one-story buildings housing other classrooms, multipurpose rooms, and dining.
The Marion County School Board meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Meetings are held at the school board’s meeting room, which is located at 1614 E. Fort King Street in Ocala.