Whittier District : $3.4-Million Bid Accepted to Refurbish High School

The Whittier Union High School District board voted 4 to 0, with member Ralph Pacheco abstaining, to approve a bid of $3.4 million to renovate Whittier High School.

Chartered Construction Corp. of Los Angeles will begin work in March. The project, which will be paid for with state rehabilitation funds, includes the installation of new heating and electrical systems, plumbing, floors and windows in school buildings that are more than 90 years old. Elevators and ramps for handicapped access also will be installed.

Joseph Juge, a contractor at Tuesday’s meeting who also bid on the job, questioned the legality of the Chartered bid, which did not list separate costs for the main project and alternative projects as all other bids did. District officials reviewed the Chartered bid with two lawyers who said it met the legal requirements.

For the past four years, the district has had plans to renovate the high school but funding from the state just recently became available, said Assistant Supt. Lowell Shira. Modernization efforts are expected to be complete by March, 1994.