BETHEL — Reconstruction costs could reach $50 million for two Bethel schools that burned in a November 2015 fire.
KYUK-AM reported the ECI Alaska Architecture firm estimated the cost at between $42 million and $50 million.
School superintendent Dan Walker told the Lower Kuskokwim School Board at a December meeting that insurers estimate repairs will cost about $27 million.
Walker said the higher estimate takes into account upgrade and code requirements for buildings that were still standing after the fire.
He said he hopes API Insurance Services responds to the architects’ findings by late January.
Actual costs are unclear until contractors start bidding on the project.
The fire burned for 12 hours at the Yup’ik immersion school and Kuskokwim Learning Academy.
It’s unclear whether a cause has been determined.
