DANVILLE — A $5.2 million project to expand and renovate Danville Area Community College's Mary Miller Center could kick into high gear this week.

DACC trustees on Tuesday will vote on whether to award construction bids for the first phase of the project.

The trustees will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting is in Vermilion Hall, Room 302, at the campus, 2000 E. Main St. A copy of the agenda and board packet is available online at http://bit.ly/iwOITv.

Administrators will recommend that trustees approve a general contractor bid from Johnco Construction of Mackinaw for about $1.22 million, a plumbing contractor bid from Venture Mechanical of Danville for $192,333 and an electrical contractor bid from AAA Electric of Terre Haute, Ind., for $295,000.

They will also recommend that trustees approve a mechanical contractor bid from A & R Mechanical of Urbana for $756,000 and an asbestos abatement bid from Midwest Service Group of St. Peters, Mo., for $10,500. All of the firms were the low bidders on their projects.

Earlier this month, DACC officials broke ground on the long-awaited project to expand the center, which houses the math and sciences division as well as the gymnasium and other athletic facilities. The expansion and renovation will add space for the math and science divisions including the health care programs, which have seen significant growth in the last decade.

The bids include both base and alternate work. The base work includes construction of 6,200-square-foot addition with new locker room and shower facilities and a multipurpose area that can be used for classroom space on the north side of the center. The alternate work includes demolition of the men's locker room at the southeast corner of the building and remodeling the area for new classrooms.

A separate bid was advertised for the asbestos abatement. That work is needed in the men's locker room.

DACC officials were pleased with the number of bids they received. Six contractors bid for the general construction work, four for the electrical work, three for the plumbing, one for the mechanical work and two for the asbestos abatement. They also were pleased that they came in $4,667 lower than architect Walton & Associates' estimate of about $2.48 million.

A second phase calls for putting a 3,900-square-foot addition on the southeast side that will house two classrooms and two offices. In addition, the college will install a new HVAC and geothermal system and solar panels in the new sections, which will make the entire center more energy-efficient.

If the bids are approved, the work could begin in June or July, according to Mike Cunningham, DACC's administrative services director. It will take about 18 months to complete, depending on the weather.