The Community Preservation Committee on Thursday received a positive progress report on the Center School reuse project.

Permanent Building Committee chair Dan McIntyre has championed this endeavor. He informed CPC members that the building’s concept has been scaled down to cut costs after what was first estimated as a $10 million project ballooned to $16.8 million.

“We asked the architect to go back and take a look at the schematic designs,” he explained. “We made some changes to that to bring the cost down.”

The biggest change was a reduction in the size of the entrance lobby. McIntyre estimated as much as $1.5 million was shaved off the cost through design revisions.

Local architectural firm Gorman Richardson Lewis Architects (GRLA) is “moving forward” with a detailed design that will lead to a more accurate cost estimate.

McIntyre added that a contractor will be assessing the condition of the slate roof on the 1928 building within the next two weeks. He expressed hope that the roof could be repaired rather than replaced, saving more money.

The two additions to the historic building will be demolished, and hazardous material will be removed. A hazardous materials consultant recently did further testing.

The first draft of the demolition specs should be released by the end of June, according to McIntyre, keeping the project “on track.” The demolition project should be out to bid by the end of the summer. Three finalists will be interviewed by the PBC for the contract.

Stressed McIntyre: “Things are looking good for Center School.”

HCA advances grant application

CPC chair Ken Weismantel said he received an update from the Hopkinton Center for the Arts’ executive director Kelly Grill earlier that day. She applied for a $4 million federal grant for the Center School project and learned that the application passed the first round of reviews.

The HCA is part of a public-private partnership with the town on the Center School project. The HCA is expected to contribute $4 million, for which it will receive classroom space. The Parks & Recreation and Youth & Family Services departments will be housed on the upper floors.

“If we get the $4 million out of that particular grant, things are looking incredibly good,” he said.

McIntyre said getting though this phase in the federal grant process was “a big hurdle” to achieve. In addition, Grill is pursuing some smaller grants.

Also, McIntyre said that the town is finalizing a 50-year lease with the HCA for this project.

Parks & Rec makes strides on projects

Parks & Recreation Commission liaison Dan Terry updated the committee on several projects that have shown progress.

The most comprehensive project is the cricket pitch and redesigned baseball field planned for Pyne Field. The Planning Board reviewed a draft plan on Monday that would separate the two areas. Each would have a separate parking lot.

Security cameras have been installed at EMC Park, Sandy Beach and the Fruit Street fields. This project went over budget due to increased installation costs. Terry noted that the Parks & Rec Department absorbed the additional expense.

Water refill stations at the Town Common, the dog park and the pickleball/tennis courts also have been installed. This project also went “substantially over budget.” Department funds filled the gap.

The boat dock project at Sandy Beach was substantially completed last summer, he said. Parks & Rec is waiting for the water level to rise to install pavers for better dock access.

CPC vice chair Eric Sonnett noted that now three boats can access the dock at a time.

Two vendors are being consulted about the proposed splash pad at Sandy Beach, Terry said. But he learned that it would need to be run by a certified pool operator, creating a potential snag in the plan.

The bathroom project at EMC skate park appears to be losing momentum, Terry said. The town advised the use of a prefabricated building. This would circumvent the need for a design and engineering study. Parks & Rec will discuss withdrawing the project funding request at its June 23 meeting.

HHA improvements take shape

Beth Malloy, the Hopkinton Housing Authority liaison, announced that the site improvement project is nearing completion. The landscaping work is done, and picnic tables have been installed. Pavement was placed to improve accessibility.

“It looks amazing,” she said.

One aspect of the project that needs to be completed is the bus shelter installation. Malloy is working to ascertain whether the $23,400 cost estimate she was given also includes installation work.

After reviewing the status of all projects, the committee voted 6-0 to close out the completed ones. In a separate 6-0 vote, the committee granted an extension until the completion of the next fiscal year for those still in progress.

Alicandro praised for service

Chris Alicandro, an at-large member whose term expires June 30, received compliments for his dedication to the CPC over the past several years.