Committee trims $2.8 million from school project

After the latest round of updated cost estimates for the $94 million school project showed a $2.8 million shortfall, the the School Building Committee chose from a lengthy list of options provided by SMMA Architects to trim costs.

At several milestone points during the school project, the project team performs a new round of cost estimating; the latest estimates marked the end of the 60% Construction Documents phase. As it did after the first round of cost estimates last October came in about $9 million over budget, the SBC employed “value engineering” to decide where to save money This phase is when the specifications and details of building envelope and mechanical systems are decided, “so this difference in cost estimates is not unusual,” the SBC said earlier this month.

The biggest VE item by dollar amount is changing all proposed fiber cement rainscreen to brick, saving almost $507,000. The SBC has not yet decided on which of two brick options to select (see the Sept. 11 presentation starting with slide 18 labeled “Current design”). 

In recent weeks, architect and longtime Lincoln resident Edmund Stevens has raised concerns about the school project on LincolnTalk several times, saying that the proposed removal of the bell tower “is nothing less than barbarous” and that the school building design resembled “a strip mall.” At the SBC’s second value engineering meeting on September 4, he objected  to some of the proposed design elements and the SBC process in general. “I don’t think anybody really knows that this building looks like… it’s total chaos,” he said.

Stevens kept trying to speak after being asked to desist and said, “You’re not going anywhere!” But SBC member Peter Sugar silenced him with raised voice, saying “Neither are you, sir!”

Stevens afterwards told the Lincoln Squirrel that he had not participated in school project discussions up until now because he had been “out of circulation” with lymphoma, and because he initially thought the design would be “at least up to the level of the town hall renovation, which was excellent.” He said he did not vote at the Special Town Meeting that narrowly rejected a state-approved design in 2012 but could not recall why.

Going into the third and final value engineering (VE) meeting last week, “our VE decisions continued to be guided by our project principles, and no decision was without vigorous discussion and understanding,” said SBC member Kim Bodnar. “There were no easy or hardest items to cut. All VE items were met with rigorous scrutiny and an understanding of how they impacted the project.”

The project now moves into the 90% Construction Documents phase, when the final details are fleshed out in preparation for putting the project out to bid for areas that are subcontracted such as plumbing and HVAC, etc. This phase will be complete by the end of December and one more round of cost estimates will take place before the bid documents are finalized.

Second round of value engineering items approved by the SBC

Item	Cost
Change all proposed fiber cement rainscreen to brick – structural steel support required to support brick	$506,739
Eliminate lightning protection system	$267,523
Replace all VRF heat recovery systems to heat pump systems. This would involve changing the heat recovery condensers ACCUs to heat pump condensers ACCUs and removal of all the branch controller units for the VRF zoned systems	$246,466
Change concrete walkways to bituminous except 5' pads at exterior door locations – hybrid option	$222,578
In Dining Commons and Media Center: Change wood ceiling to 2x2 ACT. Suspended/surface construction type linear lights be replaced to recessed linear type simulateously. Eliminate upright sprinkler heads	$187,468
Change proposed brick veneer at north elevations rear of building to ground faced CMU – hybrid option	$144,039
Eliminate all corridor phenolic lockers; provide metal lockers	$134,550
Simplify acid waste neutralization system to point-of-use chip-type system- delete pit acid neutralization room including equipment, pit, foundations for pit, waterproofing and associated MEPs for this space. Revise system at 7/8th grade Science classrooms per sketches provided.	$109,953
Eliminate all exterior wood benches	$109,540
Eliminate sun shade/PV canopies at Reed corridor (1,610 square feet)	$103,882
Reduce LF by 50% for proposed masonry mechanical enclosure walls and sound liner panels at condensing units	$96,985
Eliminate 1'x4' ACT in hubs; provide 2'x2' ACT	$74,507
Eliminate all roof drain overflow piping on the interior at new construction and install scuppers on roofs	$61,852
Use chain-link fence and gate in lieu of steel picket at Pre-K playground	$57,285
Reduce concrete walkways in front of building	$56,051
Eliminate one remaining doghouse light-gauge metal framing, roof insulation and membrane roofing and replace with insulated ductwork above the roof	$25,000
Eliminate proposed Data Acquisition System	$50,299
Change all proposed PT-base to rubber except at locations with PT wainscot	$49,611
Add Dx coil at ERVs and reduce capacity of FCUs and reduction of ductwork per sketches and descriptions provided.	$42,922
Use ProPress fittings in lieu of soldering for copper fittings for domestic water	$37,439
Reduce quantity of clocks to what is indicated in drawings	$31,115
Maintain existing interior floor hatches	$30,738
Reduce area of heavy-duty pavement to standard-duty	$29,314
Eliminate gas piping and turrets in grade 6 science (as a result, gas piping can be rerouted to eliminate 440 linear feet of gas pipe and three expansion/seismic loops)	$27,593
Reduce scope of snow guards at sloped roofs to 775 linear feet	$23,752
Substitute Category 6 cable in lieu of Category 6A except for the wireless access points	$22,462
Reduce allowance for replacement of existing roof decking by 50%	$16,766
Eliminate locker room phenolic lockers; provide HDPE lockers, and salvage and reuse existing HDPE lockers	$16,733
Reduce the thickness of the new construction slabs on grade to 4” in the classrooms and office areas. 5” would remain in the Learning Commons area and loading dock areas.	$14,757
TOTAL	$2,797,918