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SPENCER/EAST BROOKFIELD – With opening day anticipated in 10 months, the David Prouty High School Building Committee approved several change orders totaling approximately $157,000 and heard updates on construction at its last meeting.
Kristian Jones of architect Jones Whitsett outlined numerous items, including the largest request for $60,236 for a change to use a screw fastener for the building roof deck.
Whitsett noted the screw fastener would better secure the existing roof decking at the A wing to the structure. Previously, a powder actuated fastener (PAF) was to be used.
He said more screws need to be fastened into the existing deck because of the “shear strength of the screw versus PAF.”
Another larger item was $37,467 to add steel for the upsizing of embed plates for the glulam beam connection to the insulated concrete forms (ICF).
For a $29,748 request to cover an upcoming steel delivery, Whitsett notified the board that the cost is being impacted by tariffs. He said the structural steel contractor informed Fontaine Brothers that the steel was being imported from Canada.
At the time of the bids, Whitsett said, the contractor could not have accounted for the tariffs, which will impact remaining steel imports.
Also, a request for $11,446 is to cover a change to the school’s security system. Whitsett said the funds would pay for some re-programming to make special lockdown announcements from the public address system possible during emergencies.
Another $7,908 was sought to provide power to the mat hoist in the gym. Power requirement for this equipment was not part of the electrical contractor’s scope of work at the time of the bid, Whitsett said.
In the “not to exceed,” category, the committee approved up to $2,007 to add locking hardware to two doors at the Pre-K server as well as up to $2,684 to cover a slight change to the type of hardware going into some of the bathroom handles.
The committee approved $156,923 for the change orders and $4,691 for the “not to exceed” requests.
Nick Pimentel of Colliers Engineering (OPM) said with phase one complete, “we’re just chugging along with the phase two punch list.”
He reported on average there are 40 to 45 trade workers on site daily. Pimentel said there is the potential for upcoming costs that were planned but not contracted totaling $1.1 million. There is still $1 million left in contingencies on the project, Pimentel added.
Rob Day, senior project manager at Fontaine Brothers, said the roof over the auditorium is something they would like to “get going” before the end of November.
He said structural upgrades were done where the stage will be and they are getting ready to sawcut the slab and get some underground electrical work through the auditorium and for “seat lighting and stuff like that.”
Day also spoke about the planned amphitheater-style seating toward the back of the auditorium and how the approximately 400 seats will be on a gentle slope with a walk aisle.
“That will be a pretty big operation going on in the auditorium over the next couple of months,” he said.
“They are working at speed,” added DPHS Building Committee Chair Mike Ethier. “It’s coming along, 10 months until opening day…Exciting.”
The next meetings are set for November 20 and December 18 and will be in person and on Zoom.
