The Permanent Building Committee on Thursday introduced the team that will be managing the Center School reuse project. It also shared the name of the demolition contractor, linking the project’s three entities together.

Vertex was selected as the owner’s project manager for the multi-phased project by the PBC in late July. Its name may be familiar to residents because of its recent school projects in town. It is the owner’s project manager for the Charleswood School construction and Hopkins School’s addition/renovation.

The plan will keep the 1928 historic building. The two rear buildings will be demolished to make way for a three-floor addition. It will include space for the town’s Parks & Recreation and Youth & Family Services departments as well as the Hopkinton Center for the Arts in a public-private partnership.

The HCA is expected to contribute $4 million to the cost and will lease the first floor. The town’s portion will be funded through Community Preservation Committee allocations.

May’s Annual Town Meeting approved a $2.4 million request to use CPC funds for the demolition of Center School’s two rear additions and the removal of hazardous materials from the site.

As the meeting began, chair Dan McIntyre praised Dave Daltorio, the town engineer/facilities director, for “pulling triple duty” for serving as the owner’s project manager for the Center School project until this point.

Demolition contractor announced

Daltorio announced that American Environmental was awarded the demolition contract to remove the two rear additions. The environmental services contractor has been notified. The town’s procurement office is awaiting a certificate of insurance bonds before the company can officially join the project.

The Vertex team said it would connect with American Environmental and schedule an introductory meeting next week.

“Vertex has been on board for a while,” said Daltorio, noting that the company reviewed the bid documents for the demolition contract. “They’ve been doing work on a handshake.”

Once the two additions are demolished, Ken Weismantel, the CPC chair, requested that bricks from the 1950s addition be saved to distribute to stakeholders. Kelly Grill, the HCA’s executive director, made a similar request for slate pieces.

Rust issue identified on roof

Architect Jeremy Toal from Gorman Richardson Lewis Architects (GRLA) showed the latest design development document set. This plan called for a partial replacement of the 1928 building’s slate roof.

But he showed photos from a certified roof consultant that called the roof’s condition into question. Some of the shingles are permeated with rust.

“It’s pretty immediately obvious,” Toal continued. “You start seeing these rust spots all over the roof.”

He explained that pyrite, an iron-based material in the slate, causes the shingles to get rusty. Once the rust gets wet, it then runs down the roof and weakens the slate.

Toal said he did not believe the roof was leaking. This point would be challenged later in the meeting.

“This is an unfortunate thing that happened to the project,” said McIntyre. “But I think it’s something we’ve got to deal with somehow.”

Toal suggested that either the roof be totally replaced or that it be done in budgeted increments as “patch and repair” jobs.

Added McIntyre: “We don’t want to spend $15 million on Center School and then have to come and replace the roof in five years.”

He noted that town employees will be working there. Also, youth will be attending town and HCA programs.

“We don’t want a piece of slate to fall on some kid’s head,” he stressed.

McIntyre said quotes should be obtained for a full slate shingle replacement, a full synthetic replacement and a “partial fix.”

Weismantel asked Toal to look at synthetic slate shingles. Toal appeared reluctant. He said the installation cost was the same for real or synthetic slate shingles, but the synthetic material is “inferior.”

“The main pressure on this project is to keep costs down as low as possible,” said McIntyre.

Project manager seeks specifics

Chin Lin, a senior project manager with Vertex, specializes in historic preservation. He questioned Toal’s roof analysis.

“Do you feel that you exposed all the issues, or was it just a sampling?” he asked. “We better know exactly what the condition of the roof is. Basically, you don’t want to get the guys up there and then find some other problem.”

Replied Toal: “Understood.”

Later in the meeting, Lin stressed that the “first order of business” is to keep water from seeping into the building.

“Right now, water is getting into that wall,” he stressed, noting that there were rusty lintels.

The water causes the steel in the structure to swell, which affects the masonry, Lin said.

Added Lin: “It gets pretty ugly, I can tell you that.”

“I haven’t seen signs that there’s major water intrusions coming through the wall,” countered Toal. “I don’t want to give people that impression.”

Sidewalk entrance may pose issue

Toal pointed out that what he first called “accessible ramps” had to be reconfigured. The previous design had one ramp on the north side of the front entrance. That placement would necessitate construction of a retaining wall, so that design was scrapped.

The new plan has one 5-foot-wide pathway that zigzags from the north side to the south side.

Upon questioning, Toal clarified that it is a “sloped walk.” Then he called it a “sidewalk, so it doesn’t need handrails.”

This raised a red flag for committee members. The Commission on Disability, in partnership with the Hopkinton Public Library, advocated for the construction of a railing for the sloped pathway at the front of the library. It technically is not a ramp because its grade does not meet ADA compliance guidelines, members learned.

“We want to make sure we don’t repeat the same sort of issues there,” said PBC member David Godfroy.

McIntyre said Toal should meet with the Commission on Disability about this issue. He later told Toal to schedule appearances before the Historic District Commission and the Sustainable Green Committee. McIntyre said bringing the project before several committees “to get early input” would generate feedback and enthusiasm for the long-awaited project.

Once the demolition work is completed, McIntyre said the exterior work can begin.

HCA funding discussed

Grill noted that the federal grant she applied for “has been postponed.” She is going to be speaking to two representatives from U.S. Senator Ed Markey’s office on Tuesday for an update on its status.

“We were supposed to get the news of whether it would go through Congress for approval in June,” she said.

If the federal funding is not forthcoming, Grill said “there are several other irons in the fire” as potential sources.