The Elementary School Building Committee heard budget and construction updates about the Charleswood School during a brief meeting Tuesday.

Chris Kenney from owner’s project manager Vertex noted his company is tracking $523,371 in pending and estimated change orders — which amounts to 10% of the remaining construction contingency total.

ESBC member Bill Flannery asked where in the building cycle an “uptick” may be expected in change orders. Ten change orders submitted and approved totaled $90,381.

“The design team has done a good job to make sure that the design is well vetted,” Kenney replied.

Kenney said a lot of the major elements of unforeseen conditions would have come up by now, in his opinion. “The finishes are fairly straightforward, as all the other work is in place and has been verified and checked,” he said.

While major unforeseen items are unlikely, Kenney said, “minor coordination” issues could result in change orders.

Flannery noted, “It seems like we’re doing very well in the contingency bucket here.”

Flannery said he asked the question because he was curious if there was a “bit of a fluke” because of the timing of things. “But it sounds like things are going well in this area.”

Budget information reviewed

Commitments on the $158,422,394 school project amount to $122,382,545 (77%) to date.

Expenditures total $67,269,441.

During a breakdown of the budget, Kenney noted architect Perkins Eastman’s expenditures to date are about $9.5 million (78% of its $12.2 million contract value), while Vertex has spent approximately $2.5 million (50.8% of its $4.9 million contract value).

The general contractor, Brait Builders, has a current contract value of $103,281,387. The company has billed (less 5% retainage) $53,605,462.

Lynch, the contractor for roadway work, has a $1.4 million contract value and billings to date of $767,076.

Construction progress updated

Kenney told the committee that the Charleswood School project is on track to be completed by July 2027, a few months ahead of schedule.

He showed a series of work photographs depicting infiltration system excavation and subgrade preparation, sidewalk placement at the entry drive, interior stairs, wallboard in classrooms, low roof work, stormwater structures and more.

The work plan for next month includes installing drainage systems, loam and landscaping at entry roadways, roofing systems at low roofs, curtain wall systems and masonry veneers.

ESBC chair Jon Graziano said Vertex does a great job tracking and keeping him up to speed on what is going on at the site.

“We’re in good hands with our project managers,” he said.