Akiuk Memorial School, Lower Kuskokwim School District, Kasigluk - 1994-95

This is a site-built, modular wood-framed, K-12 school of 20,000 square feet, on refrigerated steel pilings, with complete self-contained water and waste treatment plants, in a small village about 30 miles northwest of Bethel. This was a publicly funded project designed by Design Alaska, Inc., of Fairbanks, on which Criterion was the low bidder. Our bid amount ($6,600,000) was within $10,000 of exceeding the limit at which the owner would award and they were reluctant to proceed without a contingency cushion. We were able to put together a value-engineering credit of over $230,000, which enabled the owner to fund an alternate for two additional classrooms. We received the certificate of substantial completion and got the students moved in ten months ahead of the contract schedule. The remoteness of the site and inherent logistical difficulties required a very close-knit team of owner, architect and contractor to achieve the success we all enjoyed on this project.