The Mars Area school board is considering hiring a construction manager to shepherd its latest building project.

During its work session Tuesday night, the board heard a proposal from Jon Thomas, of Thomas & Williamson, the firm managing the high school renovation project that is nearing completion.

Mr. Thomas said the firm could manage the addition to Mars Area Elementary School for a fee of $124,800. The services include pre-construction items such as cost estimating, scheduling and construction management, including providing an on-site coordinator, cost control, quality assurance and processing security clearances, vitally important in an elementary school, he said.

The school board voted in July to add 10 classrooms and add onto the cafeteria at Mars Area Elementary School to ease overcrowding. The school has 711 students this year in grades 2 through 4.

Cost of the 14,000-square-foot addition is estimated between $2.75 million and $3.5 million.

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