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SPENCER-EAST BROOKFIELD – A suggested fix of a pole vault fence damaged by high winds and the possible rental or purchase of a temporary trailer for storage were among the topics of longer discussions at the May 22 meeting of the David Prouty High School Building Committee.
Committee members also heard updates on the project and considered options for temporary parking.
Adam Dalessio, project manager at Colliers, said the additions are expected to be turned over on August 8. In June, a temporary certificate of occupancy issued by the building department would allow for use of the pre-K area over the summer months, he said.
The plan is for movers to take items from the existing building and move them to the temporary location following the last day of school on June 16. Delivery of furniture, fixtures and equipment will occur after the July 4th weekend, Dalessio explained.
The site work, including the baseball fields, will have a separate substantial completion date, he added.
“Things are looking great,” Dalessio noted.
The board approved an amount not to exceed $25,000 for the move into temporary space.
Storage trailer ideas presented
A request for $3,818 for a temporary trailer to store custodial equipment prompted discussion.
School Business Administrator Gary Suter noted the district is buying a new trailer for athletic equipment, which should be delivered soon and currently has a 40-foot (used one) that must to be moved anyway. He suggested they use the old one for the temporary storage of custodial equipment.
Dalessio said he is concerned about the condition it might be in. “I’m afraid if you pick it up, the bottom falls off.”
Committee chair Mike Ethier suggested they could buy rather than rent a trailer for a similar price.
The board decided to assess the condition of the old athletic unit to see if it would suffice before taking other action.
Kristian Whitsett of Whitsett Jones Architects also reviewed a list of change orders with the building committee.
The largest of these included:
- $27,102 for additions of concrete and plywood below the rooftop air conditioning units above the gym to improve acoustics;
- $174,459 (a Massachusetts School Building Authority supplemental grant item) for concrete footings, foundations and slabs as well as windows for the utility garage behind the Spencer Cable Access building. Whitsett said the final cost is $369,212, which fell below the estimated $485,000; and
- $21,436 for a flagpole at the upper (football) field. The flagpole is in addition to the one in front of the high school to be installed in the second phase.
Committee member Ralph Hicks said, “Tell us all about it (flagpole). Is it gilded in gold or does it come with air conditioning so that the flag does not get too hot?”
Whitsett acknowledged the cost of the pole is “substantial,” adding more than half of the price tag would be for installation.
Fence replacement debated
Board member Mark Carpentier questioned a change order for $33,128 to replace a pole vault fence that was damaged by high winds.
Whitsett said the fence was designed with padding along the face of it fence posts.
“How is that our responsibility?” Carpenter asked about the damage. “Shouldn’t it have been adequate to begin with? It is a windy area on the top of a hill. Did you not anticipate (that)?”
Whitsett replied that Carpentier’s points were fair and said that there were minor errors in the drawings and “an oversight on the design team’s part.”
However, he said, the architects originally went with a standard design for fencing in the construction documents and then the district asked for additional padding particularly by the pole vault.
For the replacement, Whitsett said, they would include the padding to a lesser extent. There will also be additional columns more frequently situated and set in larger concrete foundations.
The architect said the problem was caused, “mostly because of the late addition,” of padding requested by the district. He said the inclusion of more concrete and poles would have factored into the original construction costs.
Carpentier suggested they split the cost if the thought is they both share responsibility.
“I understand the district asked for a change but everybody knew you were at the top of a very windy hill going in. (We) could have had a forewarning it was a problem and not have to deal with it on an after-the-fact basis.”
Dalessio noted that every project has design errors and they are logged as such and everything is tracked.
Committee member Matt Mullen, who works in the industry, said they had bigger issues like drainage with which to contend. He added that Whitsett is correct in saying the funds would have been included in the original construction costs anyway.
The board subsequently approved the funding.
Options for parking were presented
Another topic of discussion was a “not to exceed $21,000” line item to address the fact the central office staff and Spencer Cable Access will not have access to the main parking lot in front of the existing high school during phase two of construction. It will be a construction site until August 2026.
Three options were presented to consider:
- installing a temporary gravel parking lot adjacent to the central office and enter and exit the lot from the Good Bakery and Café parking lot each day;
- renting parking spaces from Woody’s Auto Body Shop and park at their rear lot. An opening would need to be made in their fence to get to the central office and Cable Access. (Rental cost of $14,000/miscellaneous work to prep of $7,000); and
- moving of central office into Town Hall during phase two construction. Costs would be for moving services. These would be obtained and reviewed by the project team.
The next building committee meeting will be on June 26 at David Prouty High School. Members will be given a tour of the facilities prior to the Zoom and in-person session.