Dave DeForest led the School Building Needs Commission on a tour on Monday.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gilbane Construction is scheduled to finish the new Taconic High School on June 29.
From there, a moving company will be contracted to bring all of the equipment being kept at the current school over to the new one. Teachers will be asked to box up their classrooms and whichever moving company wins the bid will make the transition.
John Benzinger of Skanska USA, the project consultant, said the moving contract is out to bid and that he expects the work to start in early June. The plan is to have the new building fully moved into by Aug. 1.
A group of staff and consultants have inventoried the furniture and equipment in the current building and identified all of the items that will be kept. According to Vladimir Lyubetsky, an architect with Drummey Rosane Anderson Inc., nearly all of the new furniture and equipment has been ordered -- and some is already inside the building.
"We're at the point where all furniture had been bid, well almost all, over 90 percent of the furniture was bid and purchased," Lyubetsky said. "It was a very good process and we hope the furniture and equipment will serve Pittsfield well."
There was also a budget line in the $120.8 million project for technology. Lyubetsky said prices for those items have been secured and the purchasing process is now underway. He said those prices have come in slightly under what was budgeted.
Benzinger said the existing equipment not being used in the new building is going to be auctioned.
"We also started to auction the existing equipment that won't be used in the new building," he said, adding that through the sale of unused equipment already some $40,000 was sold.
He said there is a list of other items, which are still being used, that are lined up to hit the auction block soon. Anything that doesn't sell will go to charity, Benzinger said.
"We have plans and a purpose for almost everything and really trying to use as much as we can in the new building," said Superintendent Jason McCandless, adding that some of the Taconic items not going into the new school will go to another city school.
Project Manager Dave DeForest, of Gilbane, said the project is on schedule. In the late fall, the existing high school will start to be torn down.
Before the school is torn down, McCandless said he will be having tours for community members to take a final trip through. He said there will be a few chances this spring and summer and he hopes to couple a tour with a walkthrough of the new school.
Highlights of the progress include, installations of the gymnasium floor is set to begin on Tuesday, equipment for culinary is being hooked up now and next week cafeteria equipment will be delivered. Work in the auditorium is expected to last until mid-June, as will the terrazzo flooring. There is site work left to do, that workers hadn't been able to start due to weather. DeForest said this week that can ramp up.
Budgetwise, Benzinger said "everything looks good. We are tracking well in the budget." He says the project will be less than the $120.8 million budgeted for it but says it is too early to tell by how much.
School Building Needs Commission Chairwoman Kathleen Amuso said a groundbreaking is currently being discussed for sometime in October.
"I really do think our community picked the right businesses, vendors, and partners to work with," Amuso said. "It has made a very large project a pleasure to work on and be part of."
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue; please keep comments focused on the issues and not on personalities. Profanity, obscenity, racist language and harassment are not allowed. iBerkshires reserves the right to ban commenters or remove commenting on any article at any time. Concerns may be sent to info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
City Council President Peter Marchetti welcomes the crowd.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The holiday season is officially on in Pittsfield with the annual tree lighting Ceremony at Park Square.
Hundreds gathered at Park Square on Friday night to bring in the holiday season with song and cheer as they lit up the Park Square Christmas tree.
"On behalf of Mayor Tyer and the entire City Council, I want to welcome you to the tree lighting ceremony and wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays on behalf of the city," Council President Peter Marchetti said. "Tonight is a very special moment in the city."
Recreation Activities Coordinator Becky Manship thanked all who made the event possible especially the parks maintenance crew.
Hundreds gathered at Park Square on Friday night to bring in the holiday season with song and cheer as they lit up the Park Square Christmas tree.
click for more
Councilors swiftly approved the use of an additional $1 million in free cash to offset the tax rate and set a residential tax rate of $19.71 and a commercial rate of $40.36, per $1,000 valuation.
click for more
Rumlow was appointed interim CEO and executive director in May after Randy Kinnas, the nonprofit's CEO for the last 19 years, moved on as director of Member Advancement for the Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs. click for more
Mayor Linda Tyer has agreed to use $1.75 million from the city's free cash account, $1 million more than had been agreed upon in last spring's budget negotiations.
click for more