Two bids exceed estimate for Seyðisfjörður school expansion

Two bids have been submitted for the expansion of Seyðisfjörður school, and both exceed the cost estimate, mbl.is reports. The project is estimated to cost just over 939 million Icelandic krónur, while both bids are above 1 billion.

The bids will be reviewed by Múlaþing’s environment and construction committee on Monday, according to Þórhildur Katrín Stefánsdóttir, the committee’s chair.

MVA submitted a bid of 1,163,575,982 krónur including value-added tax. The bid from Eðalmenn ehf. totalled 1,062,594,657 krónur.

“Across political parties, we are excited to see a new school rise in Seyðisfjörður, as this is one of the largest projects undertaken since the merger,” Þórhildur told Morgunblaðið.

New school planned for up to 100 children

Seyðisfjörður’s primary school is currently housed in a protected historic building dating from 1907. According to Þórhildur, the building does not meet modern requirements for school facilities. Some teaching has already moved to a newer building known as the Red School, but classes are still held in the old school.

Jónína Brynjólfsdóttir, chair of the Múlaþing municipal council, said the aim was to move all teaching out of the old building because it was outdated and had inadequate accessibility. She said the house had never originally been intended as a school, but was a catalogue house imported as a country residence.

No decision has been made about the building’s future use. Jónína said it was a beautiful house in a prime location in the town.

About 60 children currently attend Seyðisfjörður school. The new building is designed for approximately 90 to 100 pupils and would connect to the sports hall and the Herðubreið community centre. Students would be able to walk indoors to the sports hall, where the youth centre would be located, while Herðubreið would serve as the school’s ceremonial hall.