By unanimous vote, the Elementary School Building Committee on Tuesday selected Firepoint Consulting Inc. as a third- party reviewer to work under the town’s Fire Department and Building Department until the Charleswood School is completed.

Firepoint was one of four consultants to bid. The others were Code Red, JS Consulting Engineers and Jigsaw Life Safety.

Chris Eberly, Vertex’s project manager, said Firepoint’s bid ($6,800) came in “overwhelmingly low” compared to the others options. The other bids were more than double, Eberly said, even with Firepoint having $500 per additional inspection and a $75 per hour consulting charge.

Eberly said it is an advantageous approach to sign on for these services early so that directions can be written about fire alarm and protection issues to help the designer.

Changes to schedule outlined

Scheduling for milestones was another topic of discussion.

Eberly explained that some key dates had to be slightly changed to accommodate the holidays and ensure full attention is given to the work at hand.

“We’re talking about the path to bidding,” Eberly noted.

The schedule would include as follows: 90% construction documents (CD) to estimators on Jan. 10; estimates due from estimators on Feb. 3; 90% CD estimate reconciliations by Feb. 5; and 90% CD sent to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) on Feb. 14.

A final bid package is expected to be issued on March 20, Eberly said.

He said the slight alterations on timing do not concern him and amount to about a one-week difference. It pushes the end date for “substantial completion” of the school to Oct. 31, 2027. That date will be followed by two months devoted to moving into the new facility.

“We’re OK with the move to push the bid date back that extra week and make sure we have time to get everything to MSBA and everything to this body so that you know what you are approving,” Eberly said.

He said that a total of two years, four months is “a good position from a construction standpoint.”

‘Site uncertainty’ could be risk

When ESBC chair Jon Graziano asked what the biggest risks could be related to timing, Eberly replied overall they would be associated with site uncertainty.

He explained that infiltration testing was completed over the last two weeks with results back on Monday showing “numbers much higher than the conservative numbers used in the stormwater permitting filing.”

Eberly said that means the ground takes water at a much higher rate than the assumption that was made.

“We’re obviously in drought conditions, so it will move quicker,” he said.

The Vertex representative added there is a “factor of safety” if that much soil is removed.

“There is a soil risk … that we will continue to watch,” he said. “If it becomes very wet, the contractor is going to have some logistics.”

Eberly said so far, the process through the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act (MEPA) office is going smoothly, and there is a good plan for soil in place.

Having extra time for the contractor should be helpful, although Eberly added the contractor may want to hit an earlier target date because there are incentives built into the contract if that should happen.

Road improvements deemed ‘last hurdle’

Regarding proposed road improvements, Eberly said the “last hurdle” is to go before the Conservation Commission to have members address the portion of Hayden Rowe Street that affects wetlands. This portion is northwest of Marathon School, he said.

The plans, as they have all along, include preparation for vegetation, the addition of a turning lane, new guard rail, traffic signals and more, Eberly noted.

They also show the addition of a catch basin tying to street drainage.

He expects to go before the Conservation Commission on Dec. 17 following a Nov. 26 submission date.

Meetings that follow likely will go into January.

The street improvements are going out around the same time as the general bid package, Eberly added.

Eberly said he is trying to get clarification from the Department of Public Works as to who reviews the stormwater related to street improvements, knowing the Planning Board and Conservation Commission often “work hand in hand.”

He said he is anticipating street improvements to take place in the summer of 2026, giving lead time for pole relocations.

In other business, the ESBC approved invoices totaling $355,969, with the majority ($320,000) going to architect Perkins Eastman.