School board optimistic new school will open in 2007

With another $4.5 million, library, track, band room and auditorium now certain

With the passage of three warrant articles earlier this month, providing up to $4.5 million in additional funding for the region's new high school and career and technical center, school officials are optimistic the project will be complete in time to open in the fall of 2007. Last week they went to work setting priorities for construction as well as outlining who would do which work."Congratulations so far," Blair Banker, director of pre-construction for Lee Kennedy Co., project managers for the Redstone work, said April 13 during a meeting with the full school board in a trailer on the school site. "What we wanted to do was go through the list to see if there were any changes or any particulars if it's work you're going to do or you want us to do. Do you want to change the list at all?""If we're going to change the list let me know so I can get a flak jacket," Mark Hounsell, of the school board, said, smiling. "I think the list is the list and that's what it needs to be. ... I would think Lee Kennedy would be responsible for anything within the building and 10 feet outside in the contract. I think there are some real opportunities for us to save some money by doing it ourselves like putting up the steel (facilities) building and the dugouts."The list Banker referred to is a sheet of items identified as necessary to complete the project. The list includes needs not covered by an original $44 million construction bond but paid for with supplemental funding approved by voters this spring. The items include the following: Fit-out of library (ductwork, grills, diffusers and specified lighting) $70,000. Fit-out of library $10,000. Fit-out library finishes (drywall partitions, flooring, casework and painting) $65,887. Band room $264,000. Auditorium fit-out: $300,000. Running track (asphalt base and surfacing) $180,000. Corridor lockers (material and labor) $138,560. Classroom 36-inch-high casework $49,133. Tackboard (material and labor) $36,278. Window treatment (blinds, shades for classrooms) $57,451. Markerboard (including siding and labor) $6,034. Lab classroom upper wall cabinets $62,606. Add remaining classroom casework book cases $64,000. Operable folding partitions $76,027. High school furniture $900,00. Middle school furniture $320,000. East side bleachers (500 seats) $47,049. (West side bleachers were covered in the original bond). Fit-out of fitness room only (not including equipment) $22,500. Add back 50 percent of the locker room lockers $22,046. Scoreboard labor and infrastructure $20,000 (assumes gym and field scoreboard material donation). Provide air conditioning for auditorium and administrative offices $50,000. Provide heavy duty disconnects in lieu of standards $2,200. Add back one boiler and increase chimney height (needed if the band room is added back) $54,530. Add infrared sound distribution system in five classrooms $11,236. Other site amenities not part of the original scope $100,000. Add turf/seed/mulch fields $30,000. Add spread loam and seed/mulch within drives to building $44,600 (includes topsoil). Add 1-inch asphalt wear course on typical drive sections $33,786. Storage facilities and equipment building $180,000. Contingencies, construction escalation, out-of-sequence and mark-up costs $439,000. Add 5 percent for consultant fees for construction changes $103,533. Project variance $562,681.The board and construction officials went over the list item-by-item and designated who would handle the work. Lee Kennedy will do the work on every item except the storage facilities and equipment building and the other site amenities not part of the original scope.The other site amenities not part of the original scope include: Irrigation well for field water $8,000. Multi-purpose field goal posts $6,000. Multi-purpose field concession stand (not including power and water) $10,000 (the vocational students have offered to design and build). Multi-purpose field bleachers (150 seats) $14,000. Athletic field No. 1 baseball backstop $5,000. Athletic field No. 1 baseball fencing (includes 4 feet high from first base out and 8 feet high from backstop to first base) $11,865. Athletic field No. 1 baseball dugouts $15,000. Athletic field No. 1 softball backstop $5,000. Athletic field No. 1 softball fencing (includes 4 feet high from first base out and 8 feet high from backstop to first base) $10,000. Athletic field No. 1 softball dugouts $15,000. Athletic field No. 1 junior varsity softball backstop $5,000. Athletic field No. 1 JV softball fencing (includes 6 feet from backstop to first base only) $1,000. Athletic field No. 1 JV baseball backstop $5,000 Athletic field No. 2 JV baseball fencing (includes 6 feet from backstop to first base only) $1,000.There was discussion about finishing the auditorium. No one was sure of exactly what was included in the $300,000 fit-out."We need to check with David (Laurin, of Banwell Architects) to see what the design included. ... I don't think we need to go and hire a theater consultant," said Rebecca Moore, of the Conway School Board.Hounsell said, "What if we put out an appeal to M&D, the Barnstormers and Mount Washington Valley Theater Company? There may be someone we haven't talked to who would be more than willing to give us some input." Andy Grigel, director of buildings and grounds for the Conway School District, felt such things as lighting and a sound system could be handled in-house by making a few calls."I think we can find people capable of giving us an idea," he said.Furniture was another area where a consultant was mentioned."I would say get a consultant now," project manager Matt Gagnon, of Lee Kennedy Company, said. "Most of the consultants buy the furniture as well as inventory (the existing items).""We did an inventory and took a swag (somewhat of a guess) at what was coming over here," Banker said. "It needed to be reduced by $80,000 to get to the number ($900,000)."Banker suggested bar coding all of the furniture in the current high school and middle school in order to have a checklist where each item will go when the move takes place. Some work in the middle school could be done this summer and done by in-house staff, Banker suggested."I'm concerned about the timing," Jim Hill, director of administrative services for the school district, said. "Someone has to type in '12468, this is a desk,' and that's time consuming given we already have tight schedule."Grigel pointed out all of the new furniture for the high school needs to be ordered at least 185 days prior to the opening of the school to insure delivery."You need to have this inventory be true and accurate," he said. "It has to happen this summer. I've got to do a physical inventory of each room to know what we have and what we're going to need. ... We're actually behind the curve for ordering. This is going to be a very tight schedule."Banker suggested putting out a bid package with part of the package qualifying what can stay and what can go to the new school. He said school furniture is generally calculated at $1,000 per student or $6 per square foot in terms of needs."Why not just buy new furniture for the high school?" Kennett High Principal Jack Loynd asked. "With the cost to code it and to move it, it might be cheaper to purchase new."Grigel was asked to report to the school design team, which is slated to meet this Thursday, with a recommendation of how best to handle the inventory.Hounsell suggested that the school district might want to take on the task of building the high school track."I think we can cut out the middle man, Lee Kennedy, on this one," he said. "We can contract (AJ Coleman and Sons Inc.) and have them put down the base and they'll find someone to do the surface work. This is an opportunity for us to save some money."The board voted to have Lee Kennedy handle the track work. Lee Kennedy planned to contract AJ Coleman and Sons Inc. and have them put down the base and they'll find someone to do the surface work.