Steeplechase top pick to oversee WHS reconstruction

Steeplechase Development Advisors in partnership with Dow’s Custom Construction are being recommended to oversee the construction of the new Whitefish High School.

Last week the school district oversight and budget subcommittee conducted a series of interviews of the finalists who had submitted requests for proposals for the owner’s representative for the new high school project.

Seven candidates submitted bids, and the three finalists were Bison Creek, Montana Creative Design and Steeplechase Development Advisors in partnership with Dow’s Custom Construction.

The subcommittee was expected Tuesday to recommend to the school board to hire Steeplechase Development Advisors as its owner’s representative for the project.

The Steeplechase team’s bid for the two- and a half-year project was $317,500. This fell right in the middle of the fee schedules of all the applicants, according to the school district.

Over the life of the project, the team from Steeplechase/Dow will be working with the school district, the DLR Group architects, the community and the general contractor, which has yet to be hired.

The three project principles for the Steeplechase team are Bayard Dominick, Jack Donovan and Dow Powell.

Dominick has been in the design and project management business since 1996. He worked on behalf of the school district the past two and a half years to manage the high school design and bond efforts. Donovan has 40 years of experience in construction and design. Powell is a local contractor who has been in the building business in Whitefish since 1979.

At a cost of $19 million, the new WHS is set to be a mix of remodeling and new construction. The current projected move-in date for the school is August 2014.