The Wright City R-II School District is now prepared to move forward with the completion of a retention pond that will be installed south of the high school building, along the road connecting the main parking lot and concession areas.Board members voted to unanimously approve the bid of $29,694 submitted by Cannon General Contractors Inc. during their monthly meeting Jan. 21.That figure came in considerably lower than the three competing bids and also is substantially under what the district had initially projected for the excavating costs.“We thought is was going to be around $70,000,” said Superintendent David Buck. “We had two groups that came in just shy of that and a third that came in less than half of that, so it was great news.”The other bids submitted were from Kuesel Excavating Company Inc., $62,400; Karrenbrock Excavating Company LLC, $64,725.30; and Wehmeyer Farms Inc., $65,990.Much of the discussion at the meeting centered around whether to add a fence surrounding the retention pond for safety purposes. If the district decided to make that addition, the total from Cannon General Contractors Inc. would rise to $40,593.52.“The fence is not required, but it’s certainly within our budget of what we thought we were going to be spending on this project,” said Buck.Questions were raised over how often or how much water is typically held by the pond. Facilities Operations Director Jack Sanford made a comparison to the already existing retention pond near the bus barn.“It really detains and slows down the water runoff,” explained Sanford. “There should not be standing water most of the time.”There is already a fence separating the residential property adjacent to the project, but the fence included in the addition would be specifically surrounding the pond. Concerns were brought forward about the height of the fence not being enough to prevent students from crossing it, however, the board still felt it as a necessary safety precaution.“It seems like having the fence is due diligence — that we are making the attempt to make sure no accidents are going to happen,” added Board Vice President Alice Jensen.Contractors will begin working on the project as weather permits and plan to keep the adjoining road clear for any conflicting athletic events. The shot put area that previously existed where the retention pond will now be was relocated by the district earlier this school year.Wright City R-II