Colegrove School Project on Budget, But Not on Time

Retaining walls outline the new playgrounds and entrance areas at Colegrove Park Elementary School.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The new elementary school continues on budget — if not on time.

Colegrove Park Elementary School is supposed to be "substantially complete" by Wednesday but officials say it's months from being ready.

"They are clearly several months at best until completion," Kenneth J. Guyette of Strategic Building Solutions/Colliers International, the owner's project manager, told the School Building Committee on Monday. "We've been bombarded with a number of very large potential change orders within the last two weeks with a lot of time requested off that.

"That's what we're discussing with the city and the architect how to get through that issue."

The city was notifed in May that the $29.7 million renovation of the old Drury High School would likely not be ready for opening this fall. General contractor PDS Engineering & Construction Inc. had initially set a new date of Aug. 16, but that date is no longer viable.

School officials plan to begin the school year with the new redistricting in place; Colegrove pupils will start the year at Sullivan School. In the last walkthrough, Mayor Richard Alcombright said it could be the first of the year before the school opened, to give time for teachers to move into their classrooms.

The main issue for the city's officials and design team has been the lack of manpower onsite, which they believe is causing delays and putting the schedule behind. Schedules have not been adhered to and a "legitimate recovery" plan has not been forthcoming, they say.

"Manpower continues to be flat," said Guyette

Member Ronald Superneau, who has repeatedly voiced his displeasure with the company, said the penalty spelled out in the contract may not be an incentive to bring more crews on.

"They're going to end up paying more for overtime than they would the $1,000 a day they're going to be charged by us," he said.

The $1,000 a day penalty that begins on Thursday is spelled out in the contract; the penalty would be deducted from the cost of the project.

Superneau asked that a representative from the contractor appear at the next meeting and suggested the School Committee should also attend.

A representative had been expected to attend Monday's meeting.

While the ground floor needs the most work, the kitchen and dishroom are nearly done; bathrooms are also being tiled.

Major ductwork has started and two HVAC units are set to go on the roof in the next two weeks, although the committee thought that optimistic. Masons are now working on the east side of the building - including the old Drury wall, gym and new elevator shaft.

Windows and window trim, including Corian windowsills, are still going in, and the installation of roof parapets and copper flashing are ongoing.

The original terrazo tile is being refurbished along with the wood floors.

The most visible change at this point is the excavation and the concrete footings and walls for the playground and main entrance area on the south side.

"We're doing really well on change orders," Guyette said. "Right now over 90 percent are eligible for reimbursement by the MSBA. Right now, we are tracking on budget."

The Massachusetts School Building Authority has been frequently onsite but has stayed out of any dealings over delays, saying it's a city issue, he said.

"They love the project, they really do," Guyette said. "It's a showpiece because there aren't that many historic projects."

North Adams Hopes to Transform Y Into Community Recreation Center

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:19AM / Thursday, May 02, 2024

Mayor Jennifer Macksey updates members of the former YMCA on the status of the roof project and plans for reopening. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has plans to keep the former YMCA as a community center.

 

"The city of North Adams is very committed to having a recreation center not only for our youth but our young at heart," Mayor Jennifer Macksey said to the applause of some 50 or more YMCA members on Wednesday. "So we are really working hard and making sure we can have all those touch points."

 

The fate of the facility attached to Brayton School has been in limbo since the closure of the pool last year because of structural issues and the departure of the Berkshire Family YMCA in March.

 

The mayor said the city will run some programming over the summer until an operator can be found to take over the facility. It will also need a new name. 

 

"The YMCA, as you know, has departed from our facilities and will not return to our facility in the form that we had," she said to the crowd in Council Chambers. "And that's been mostly a decision on their part. The city of North Adams wanted to really keep our relationship with the Y, certainly, but they wanted to be a Y without borders, and we're going a different direction."

 

The pool was closed in March 2023 after the roof failed a structural inspection. Kyle Lamb, owner of Geary Builders, the contractor on the roof project, said the condition of the laminated beams was far worse than expected. 

 

"When we first went into the Y to do an inspection, we certainly found a lot more than we anticipated. The beams were actually rotted themselves on the bottom where they have to sit on the walls structurally," he said. "The beams actually, from the weight of snow and other things, actually crushed themselves eight to 11 inches. They were actually falling apart. ...