Colegrove Park School Getting Closer to Completion
 School and city officials tour the new Colegrove Park Elementary School recently. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Work on Colegrove Park Elementary School continues at a steady progress, with nearly 100 workers on the former middle school grounds.
Despite being several months late, the project is also doing well on the budget front.
"The numbers look good, financially you're in good shape," reported Andy Gentile, of owner's project manager Colliers International, who attended his first meeting with the School Building Committee on Monday.
Gentile is transitioning in as replacement for Daniel Daisy and has recently completed a $60 million multiphase school project in Southwick with PDS Engineering & Construction Inc., Colegrove's general contractor.
"We have change orders out there that have not been approved fully by the state yet but, again, they're nothing different than what has already been approved by the state," said Mayor Richard Alcombright, estimating the Massachusetts School Building Authority has approved 80 percent to 90 percent of changes for reimbursement.
Dorrie Brooks of Jones Whitsett Architects noted that the most recent set of change orders reviewed on Monday was smaller than the last three, a sign that the project was winding down. "We're feeling pretty good about things," she said.
William L. Jodice of PDS said there were probably 90 or more crew onsite ("staff levels are very high") and the problem now is finding a place for all of them to park. Site work on the exterior is moving fast and he's asked for off-site parking as preparations are made for paving.
Gentile said PDS has been very responsive, pointing to his concerns over erosion issues with the newly graded upper slope of Colegrove Park. PDS the next day was working on seeding and mats.
"We put the sod around and put straw mats on Colegrove Park. We rushed at Andy's suggestion to get those mats down," Jodice said, referring to the heavy rains expected this week. "We don't anticipate any issues on Wednesday."
Gentile said it was a matter of being proactive and using experience from past projects and contractors.
"I'll push them just as I did in Southwick," he said of getting the school done. "We did it before, we can do it again."
Committee member Nancy Ziter, also the school department's business manager, read off a list prepared by Daisy toting up the completion levels. The old Drury wall's exterior is completed, ductwork is in, piping to the air conditioning units in the classrooms is underway, new exterior doors have been installed, drywall is going up in the lower floors and flooring is still being installed, all the new classroom doors are in except for the lowest level, carpentry and millwork is fairly complete, painting and wall coverings are ongoing, as are lighting and electrical fixtures.
As has been the case, the upper floors are the most complete, with the bottom floor the least.
Brooks said repairs to the historic concrete walls in Colegrove Park are also underway.
"They have an artist there on the job who's repairing a lot more then we thought," she said. One of the school's restored stained-glass windows has been installed and the second will arrive in a couple weeks. Historical panels planned for the corridors have also been approved and ordered. "They're like art so they're the last things that will go up."
The elevator has been installed but getting it certified has been a problem. Because of the gym lagging about a month behind the rest of the school, the fire alarms could not be installed so the elevator could not be used. Jodice and Gentile said the alarm inspector has allowed the school to be zoned with a separate alarm for the gym. The general school building alarm is being installed now and the elevator should be inspected in short order.
The elevator will be required for when the new furniture arrives. That will begin to be moved in by the Oct. 26 date set for the contractor; the gym is slated for Nov. 16.
Committee member Ronald Superneau asked if was possible to have an open house at the Oct. 26 date, rather than have people trudging through snow to see the school.
Brooks said the October date was really for the next step to begin — she estimated it could be six or seven weeks to install furniture and technology and run through the punch lists.
"There's so much that has to happen after that," she said. "We don't want a lot of traffic in and out."
The general contractor will first go through its punch list of needs; then the architects and project manager will go through theirs. The goal will be to try to minimize the number of people going through the rooms — and minimize the chance of scuffs, spills, nicks and other slight damage that would then have to go back on the punch list.
"They may not want it but they may see some [traffic]," said the mayor. "I'd love to bring the staff in from Sullivan to see the place ... they won't see their furniture, they won't see their tech, but they will see their classrooms. ...
"When they're done and moved in, there'll be a formal open house."
Tags: Colegrove Park, Conte School, school building committee, school project,
