In spite of a few kinks, leaders with Dowagiac Union Schools inched closer to the groundbreaking for the planned overhaul of Dowagiac Union High School Monday night.

The Dowagiac Union Schools Board of Education approved the slate of contractors for the upcoming high school renovation during its meeting Monday at Dowagiac Middle School. District administrators and officials with Skillman Corporation, the firm leading the construction project, recommended the list contractors to the board.

The contractors, as well as the portion of the project they will handle, are as follows:

• General trades, Maxwell & Associates, for $2,760,000

• Asphalt paving, Michigan Paving & Materials, $227,258

• Masonry, Weigand Construction, $1,679,500

• Metals, Structural Standards, $348,200

• Casework, Stonecreek, $494,500

• Alum, doors and windows, Battle Creek Glass Works, $968,685

• Drywall, ceilings and EIFS, Bouma-Betten Construction, $795,410

• Roofing, Slatile Roofing, $199,812

• Flooring, Midwest Title, $516,077

• Wood gym flooring, Kuhn Specialty Flooring, $349,897

• Resinous flooring, Central Tile & Terrazzo, $349,897

• Food service equipment, Stafford Smith, $379,293

• Gym equipment, Interkal, $98,045

• Plumbing, DHE Plumbing & Mechanical, $849,900

• Mechanical, DHE Plumbing & Mechanical, $3,834,000

• Electrical, Martell Electrical, $2,175,000

• Communications, Parkway Electric, $703,550

The contractors were selected from a total of 59 companies that submitted bids in 19 bid categories. The project — which will include a complete overhaul of the high school as well as the construction of a new competition gym — was originally sent out for bid in February, with the original deadline for submissions pushed back to allow more vendors to submit estimates to the district.

“We are very happy with the number of bidders we received for the project,” said Superintendent Paul Hartsig, following Monday’s meeting. “With the exception of a couple categories, we felt they were very competitive.”

Administrators rejected bids submitted for building of metal lockers and fire protection prior to Monday’s vote. The rejected price estimates were higher than the leaders desired, and the categories also received fewer bids then the district expected, said.

The district and Skillman plan to place these two categories out for bid again in the coming weeks. Leaders hope to have recommendations before the school board by its next meeting in April, Hartsig said.

The companies that were approved were selected by the district following three days worth of interviews by administrators and Skillman officials in late Febraury, Hartsig said.

“We get one shot at this,” Hartsig said. “So while we are concerned about the costs, we are also concerned about the quality.”

The renovation project is the largest of the planned construction projects that will take place in the district over the next several years, following the passage of $37 million worth of bonds by voters in 2015. In addition to the construction of the new gym, the high school will receive improvements to all of its existing classrooms, as well as upgrades to its technology and the installation of a central heating and cooling unit.

Even without the bids for the lockers and fire protection, the estimated price tag for the project is more than $16.5 million, exceeding the district’s price projections.

In order to keep the project within budget, leaders plan to scale back the types of materials, such as ceiling tiles or masonry, to drive down the total price tag, Hartsig said. However, none of the adjustments will impact the design or scope of the renovation work, he added.

The district expects to break ground on the competition gym in May — Hartsig expects to have a definitive date following spring break — with the renovations to the interior of the high school starting once classes let out in June. The project will take place in several phases through December 2018, with departments rotating to temporary class spaces while their classrooms are being worked on, Hartsig said.

“It is going to be a disruption for students and staff, but we are working on making it as tiny as possible,” he said.

The district will also work on design plans for the renovations to its four elementary schools and to the football stadium in the coming months. Hartsig expects to have the projects out for bid in the fall.

Construction on all the buildings impacted by the school bonds is expected to wrap up by the beginning of the 2019 school year.