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School Board Rejects Renovation Bids for Peabody Stadium

Statewide construction costs are outpacing the project’s $18 million estimate.

With construction costs booming statewide, bids to seismically, aesthetically, and comprehensively renovate Santa Barbara High School’s Peabody Stadium came in far beyond the project’s original $18 million estimate, prompting the Santa Barbara Unified School District’s Board of Education to reject all offers and attempt to broaden its search for one or more builders. Time, however, is of the essence, stressed Superintendent Cary Matsuoka, explaining that the project’s price tag will continue to escalate with inflation.