MONROE — The School District of Monroe Board of Education awarded bids to two Wisconsin companies for extensive work to build the new high school.

They chose Hooper Plumbing of Monona to do the extensive plumbing work on the school and North American Mechanical, Inc. of Madison for the new building heating, cooling and ventilation work (HVAC).

The board ultimately considered the three best bids for each of the two categories, before opting at a meeting May 23 to award the contracts to Hooper and North American Mechanical.

In November 2022, voters overwhelmingly approved an $88 million referendum to fund the new high school. The district board considered multiple possible locations for the school, eventually deciding on a site that was farm land — owned by the B&S partnership — on the east side of town along 31st Avenue near Northside Elementary School.

The district issued its bonds for the new high school on May 31, 2023. The bonds will be paid off over the next 20 years

North American Mechanical Inc. is the same contractor the district hired to complete major work at Northside and Parkside schools; and is also slated to complete work on Abraham Lincoln’s HVAC.

Officials also praised the detailed work that Hooper put into its plumbing bid, saying their estimates were the most detailed and their prices the lowest. What is more, they have nine employees already living in the school district and 26 living in Green County.

Both contracts, officials said, will be structured so that the board has options for other providers  to “hard bid” the work as the design process moves forward and if the board wasn’t satisfied with the initial work.

While drawings and plans are still being finalized, the plumbing contract was estimated at just over $3 million, and the HVAC close to $8 million.