PHILIPSBURG — The controversial Philipsburg-Osceola middle school came one step closer to becoming brick and mortar with the opening of bids on Tuesday.

More than 20 contractors attended the bid opening at the P-O high school auditorium as numbers for their proposals on seven different contracts were revealed. Some were central Pennsylvania construction staples, while others came from as far away as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

The contracts are for turning the current North Lincoln Hill School into a middle school for fifth to eighth grades. Chester Hill borough officials and Clearfield County commissioners have raised concerns about, among other things, a lack of a transportation study, the impact on the local sewer system and a small coal seam beneath the property.

For general construction, six bids were received, ranging from $9.8 million to $10.9 million. Fluctuations of as much as $486,000 down or $253,000 up were based on alternate bidding options such as a courtyard in place of the auditorium, or different flooring alternatives.

The apparent low bidder was Lobar Inc., of Dillsburg, but engineers from Reynolds Construction Management say the order can change based on which options are picked by the school board.

The next biggest pieces of the pie were heating, ventilation and cooling, and electrical. Four contractors bid for HVAC, all topping $3 million, as did the two for electrical. Worth and Co., of Pipersville, appeared to have the low edge for HVAC, and Bob Biter Electrical Enterprises, of Cresson, was the apparent low bidder for electrical work.

Roofing bids ranged from $824,000 to $1.6 million, but could as much as double if options for a hot or cold built-up roof are selected. The apparent low bidder was David M. Maines Associates Inc., of Lewistown.

Plumbing bids ran the gamut from $1.29 million to $1.59 million. Jay R. Reynolds Inc., of Willow Street, was the low bidder.

One bid was received for fire protection. S.A. Comunale, a subsidiary of EMCOR Group, with offices in Philadelphia and Reading, should secure the contract with a $578,268 bid.

Food services construction generated two bids for $423,000 and $472,000. A Lancaster company, 11400 Inc., appeared to wrap that up with a bid that would still be less than its competition even with the $25,300 option of a blast chiller for the kitchen.

No bids are considered official until all requirements are reviewed by the engineers to make sure they are in compliance with all documentation, bid bonds and qualifications. That will be done before Monday’s school board meeting, where recommendations will be made for accepting contracts on work that is slated to begin next month.