VIDALIA &8212; Vidalia High School won&8217;t be getting the long-awaited athletic building anytime soon.

Bids for the project opened at Tuesday night&8217;s school board meeting were way beyond budgetary expectations, the business department said.

The low bid came from Pineville-based Miguez DeLoach Company for $624,700.

When talk of the project first started the board expected to spend somewhere between $100,000 and $300,000.

At one point they considered an offer from the sheriff&8217;s office and the Town of Vidalia for free labor but turned that offer down.

The board also turned down a bid of $49,000 in November for delivery of the building&8217;s shell.

&8220;This is a sad day for me,&8221; said board member Jerry Roberts, who has been a proponent of the building for the start. &8220;I have waited three years. I don&8217;t know if it&8217;s because of the price of the hurricane or what.&8221;

Business Manager Tom O&8217;Neal said he would research the bids and try to find out what the problem was.

Plans for the building include a weight room and dressing area.

&8220;This thing has been round and round in circles,&8221; board member Gary Parnham said. &8220;We had some help and chose to go the other route. This thing would already be there. I&8217;m appalled at the price. This thing could have been built three years ago.&8221;

Roberts said he wasn&8217;t giving up on the project.

The board voted to take the bids under advisement and consider the options.

In other business the board heard a presentation from Durham School Services, a school bus company. Durham wants to provide transportation in the district.

Their proposal to the district includes allowing current drivers to remain school employees, or to become Durham employees at the same rate of pay. The company can either buy buses from drivers or manage them.

&8220;I think we have the opportunity to take our expertise and our resources to marry that up with the drivers that are currently here,&8221; Durham Vice President Robert Smith said.

The company would immediately replace 10 buses with newer models. By September, they&8217;d have 25 new buses. And the vehicles would be replaced at a rate of 10 percent a year every year thereafter, said Greg Walker of Durham.

The company is willing to help drivers who own their own buses sell them.

Durham could purchase its own fuel and charge the district, or the district could continue to buy fuel.

The district and board will consider the proposal and make a decision later. Durham currently provides transportation in the Natchez-Adams School District. The company works in 21 states.