By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — With the exception of some “punch list” items, the $74 million Galvin Middle School project is complete.
“I’m very happy to report that the substantial completion of the contract occurred Thursday, July 16, 2015,” Permanent Building Committee chairman Joseph Bertrand told the Board of Selectmen this week, “and Building Inspector Jack Roberto granted the Certificate of Occupancy on Thursday as well.”
Bertrand said that the remaining issues consisted of “punch list items as well as exterior work.” He told the selectmen that the committee expected those would be completed by Aug. 1.
Bertrand reported that concrete has been laid for the skate board park, which was a late add-on to the project. He said that the skate park would be completed shortly after Aug. 1.
He noted that there were several contingency funds associated with the project. All have been used up, he said, with the exception of the town’s “owner’s contingency.”
“We have substantial money left,” Bertrand said. “We are under budget.”
He told the selectmen that there have been requests from the School Department for additional items but he said that any requests that were not absolutely necessary for safety and health issues were held in abeyance until the end of the project to see what monies were left.
In addition to requests from the schools, there are issues related to overtime from the town’s IT Department, Bertrand said, and a request from the Police Department for extra security cameras. Construction firm Bond Brothers has also submitted a request for what is known as “winter conditions,” according to Bertrand.
The Permanent Building Committee will make decisions on how to use the remaining Owner’s Contingency, Bertrand said.
“We are very confident that we will be able to meet some, if not all, of those remaining issues within the budget, he added.
Bertrand said that to date contingency funds have been used for unforeseen costs related to the soils on the site, asbestos removal and the installation of an additional science lab that the school requested that was not in the original design.
Selectman Patrick Glynn commended the Permanent Building Committee for its work on the Galvin, calling the project “a great example to other communities.”
Selectman Phyllis Hull asked about an issue that had come up related to the need for a platform to service an air conditioning unit in the ceiling of a newer part of the building. The platform was not in the original building design.
Permanent Building Committee member Charles Tarbell, who was also at the selectmen’s meeting, came forward and said that once it was realized that the air conditioning unit did not have appropriate access, contingency funds were used to install a small platform to provide the necessary access.
Bertrand also provided an update of the pending evaluation study of the High School. He said that in June the Permanent Building Committee picked architectural firm Dore and Whittier of Newburyport to conduct the evaluation study. Their bid to perform the study was $109,000, Bertrand said, noting that Town Meeting had allotted up to $150,000 for the study.
Bertrand said that Dore and Wittier was scheduled for an informal walk-through of the High School this week with a formal walk-through later this month. A complete evaluation of the physical aspects of the building will occur this summer he said.
The “educational/visionary” aspect of the study will occur in the fall when school is back in session, Bertrand said. The report by Dore and Whittier is expected to be complete by December or January, he added, in time for the town to put together a Statement of Interest regarding the High School for the next round of Massachusetts School Building Authority funding requests.
