Lincoln County School Board members were pleased with the bidsthey received Monday for the demolition of buildings on the WestLincoln and Loyd Star Attendance Center campuses.

The demolition makes room for the new buildings, funded by the$3.8 million bond issue passed in September, to be constructed.

The board considered eight bids Monday before selecting ARC Inc.of Alabama as the best. ARC won the contract with a $113,900 bid.The next lowest bid was for $122,399. The highest bid was for$255,118.

“We’ve got a good low bid, and unless there is some kind offormal protest, I move we accept it,” said Garland Wright ofArchitects, Engineers and Associates. Wright is the project’sarchitect.

Board members expressed a desire to award the contract to alocal company, but said they had to go with the best bid.Representatives from several local companies attended the bidopening.

“I hate we didn’t get the contract, but I’m up in the middle ofthe pack so I suggest you take it. I’m a taxpayer, too,” said oneof the representatives.

Board members said they were happy with the bids received andespecially pleased with the winning bid.

“We were pleased with the low bid,” said Superintendent PerryMiller. “It was within the budget we had projected. We’re wellsatisfied.”

The board is moving ahead with the demolition despite the factthat the bonds have not been sold. They will pay for the demolitioncontract from the district’s general fund and replace it with fundsfrom the sale of the bonds.

The bond sale is expected to be finalized Dec. 18. Board membersopened bids on the bonds earlier this month and awarded the sale toDuncan Williams Investment Group of Memphis, Tenn., in associationwith First Bank of McComb. They received the contract by offering anet interest rate of 4.19 percent.

Gross interest on the bond loan is $1,791,967.50 with a 17 andone half years maturity. The final payment will be made on June 1,2020, according to the bid.