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The Washington County Board of Education in September approved $18.3 million in construction contracts for the new Bester Elementary School.

According to school system documents and the facilities department, the contractors for the construction of the new Bester Elementary School, with their total contract values, are:

• Waynesboro Construction of Frederick, Md., for the site work, $3,219,500
• Chevy Chase Contractors of Silver Spring, Md., for concrete work, $835,100
• Robert W. Sheckles Masonry Contractor of Frederick, for masonry work, $1,549,400
• Steel Fab Enterprises of Lancaster, Pa., for the steel work, $1,515,800
• Callas Contractors of the Hagerstown area, for general trades, $1,035,300
• CitiRoof Corp. of Columbia, Md., for the roof, $1,251,200
• Engineered Construction Products of Frederick, for the windows, $466,420
• Building Systems of the Hagerstown area, for drywall, $827,500
• Frederick Tile of Frederick, for resilient tile flooring, $130,473
• Weyer’s Floor Service of Odenton, Md., for wood flooring for the expanded gym, $61,048
• Crown Inc. of Hagerstown, for the painting, $89,823
• David Allen Co. of Bristow, Va., for the ceramic tile, $114,800
• Modular Concepts of Chesapeake City, Md., for cabinetry, $312,000
• Ashland Equipment of Belcamp, Md., for the kitchen equipment, $200,939
• Kennedy Fire Protection of Frederick, for the fire sprinkler system, $177,500
• R.W. Warner Inc. of Frederick, for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls, $3,990,000
• H&H Well Drilling of the Hagerstown area, for the geothermal well drilling, $762,000
• Baumgartner Inc. of Hunt Valley, Md., for the HVAC testing and balancing, $37,900
• Altimate Electric of Mount Airy, Md., for the electrical work, $1,756,150

The total contract value includes the base bid and bids for two alternates, an expanded gym and Invensys heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls, to maintain a standardized systemwide monitoring of mechanical controls, according to a school board presentation document.

In January 2012, the school board approved a $797,700 contract with DGI-Menard, of Bridgeville, Pa., for the design and construction of a special foundation due to soft soil in the area.

The company began work the week of Nov. 12 on the foundation supports needed to bear the weight of the new school. The company will install approximately 1,100 grout columns 25 feet to 30 feet deep, Project Manager Traci Coldsmith said.