[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6165523,"mediaKeyId","5421790-dabf9000958a1ee134631929c4bea5d5","parentId",5421790,"title","Presenters cite hidden walls and other unforeseen conditions at Lowell High; team outlines O&M, website and program updates","audioSeconds",1662,"startMs",697000,"endMs",2359000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5421790-dabf9000958a1ee134631929c4bea5d5&start=697&end=2359","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5421790-dabf9000958a1ee134631929c4bea5d5/thumbnail_697000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6165523/Lowell-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Presenters-cite-hidden-walls-and-other-unforeseen-conditions-at-Lowell-High-team-outlines-OM-website-and-program-updates","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6165523-ec38b506e9fae451b367f66c72fffaaf/orig.mp4?Expires=1775742022&Signature=hDduysHRDEtWXcOJwE6MZAVeK65AnAiJUHBVoUYkEjSIPDfLT9ALnM5suIptlZZaBiDN2mBFrwGZOSBKEGnAzLpVN1I2ObjhR6qAZeIsTa0uNaRzSIoetrLrVfi4in1DwhsrFs2BnHu9KBCLd74MnpKDKI6rEQLsfGmnY0m7Hg7xmm92nFOW70iIlAleadB1BO27KYTAAyJQva2LHbJHk8DcLGg21WRJZVhrjk2nwN1NF3VMpaDJC9m74ft7Q0N-hb0QKDE3ZVF76ilDbnbQ1WLskUyNS1a7T34ekpC0SIjQClb~D8cZfDSSvnNk85JVU86z12wDhKV5Rua-dw0Hjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lowell City, MA","date","2025-07-18T10:52:00Z","article","The School Building Committee heard detailed explanations of construction conditions that have affected the Lowell High School renovation schedule, plus several administrative updates on warranties, project materials and program space.

Perkins Eastman and contractor presenters described finding multiple wall types and masonry hidden behind plaster during demolition of the 1922 building; those conditions were not visible on existing drawings. The architect said investigators expected masonry but not the variety and condition uncovered once plaster was removed. The project team told the committee that investigators limited intrusive inspections early in the project because the school remained occupied, and wholesale removal of plaster could not be done before demolition work began.

Committee members pressed why more intrusive inspection was not done earlier on a 100‑year‑old building; the team responded that site access and occupied‑school constraints limited how much demolition could be performed prior to active construction. The architect said, \"We expected masonry. We saw masonry,\" and added that the variety of masonry types and conditions only became apparent after removing plaster during demolition.

Presenters also reported on punch‑list and warranty matters: phase 1 and phase 2 punch lists total about 60 items (four from phase 1, 56 from phase 2), and the team said those items are scheduled to be completed before the end of the summer. Warranty and operation-and-maintenance (O&M) documents and as‑built drawings were described as being provided on flash drives, in PDF, and in hard copy to the city's DPW/facilities team; the presenters said O&M and maintenance schedules are in formats that can be transferred to other systems.

Administrative updates given to the committee included: a planned project website launch (presenters said a new project website is being finalized with a target launch date of July 30) and an update on the Keegan Memorial Stone (presenters said they have a proposed location and have reached out to the family to discuss it). The project team also reported that they are coordinating with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) about class‑use assignments for a room being considered for Chapter 74 vocational programming; presenters said they met with school staff and planned further discussion with MSBA/DESE the following week.

Why it matters: the hidden wall and foundation conditions are the technical root of several change orders and schedule impacts; warranty, punch‑list and documentation issues affect near‑term turnover and building maintenance; the Chapter 74 and classroom‑use discussions affect whether specialized vocational programming can start on the planned timeline.

Presenters said maintenance schedules and as‑built documents are being handed over to the city and that Mark and Paul on the city's side have Procore access; they also noted the team will post presentations and project materials on the Lowell High School project website in advance of future meetings to improve public access.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lowell School Building Committee - July 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Architects and contractors told the Lowell City School Building Committee they encountered multiple wall types and hidden masonry behind plaster in the 1922 portion of Lowell High, a discovery the team says was limited by occupied‑school constraints on preconstruction demolition.","taxTitle","Lowell City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts","taxId",4223,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6165528,"Lowell school project team warns contingency nearly exhausted; seeks additional funds while negotiating $25M extension",2038,416000,2454000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5421790-dabf9000958a1ee134631929c4bea5d5&start=416&end=2454","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5421790-dabf9000958a1ee134631929c4bea5d5/thumbnail_416000.jpg","/articles/6165528/Lowell-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Lowell-school-project-team-warns-contingency-nearly-exhausted-seeks-additional-funds-while-negotiating-25M-extension","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6165528-89e8048a20c0b74abdc687b84f77c42c/orig.mp4?Expires=1775742022&Signature=lvs7jaOZzhYSnO00r2TbIoyC8Vja0qq-j28~FVOh7DJ~FrJv6tRJjfhe~CjnW6~SNeQyBG9W-ylJtbp54j9AeZBYdftLw-vWtxmv28mMBGcp~yYWqeWZpDm8PTOOOUjksCekfeHLlAN4emMDEQfEu7hakhRfVaAN4-lAh~nJFbv9avJExKvCQ9yiiHkUOFSbHKF7iE03Vdj2h0gTDPIKQ5Aaobo58zpNuDFrfzafhCbqfJ3IiF--BaUf3msFvQGLqqNbt76oRtgiNC6QplgbTMRIvqHGgo7L4ZBGjUeFPIqtIBi2rS6r5pdT9wqjRO3f3S23w9ud7NAddnXNF5HxNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lowell City School Building Committee heard on a project update that renovation conditions in the historic Lowell High School have driven unexpected costs and will require additional contingency funding.

Project presenters from Suffolk, Skanska and Perkins Eastman told the committee that the team originally carried $21,200,000 in contingency for the renovation portion of the work and has spent about $16,200,000 through 35 change orders to date. Pending change requests the team identified total about $6,400,000, leaving the construction contingency at roughly $4,900,000; presenters said the remaining contingency is forecast to be depleted by the first of the year unless replenished.

That shortfall underpins a two-part request discussed at the meeting: (1) a contingency replenishment estimated at about $13,000,000 to cover remaining change orders tied to unforeseen conditions; and (2) a separate schedule-extension request the team described as still under negotiation and that had been discussed earlier as approximately $25,000,000. \"The $25,000,000 is still under negotiation,\" the presenters told the committee; \"we're still working on knocking that number down.\"

Why it matters: the committee heard that the contingency burn is driven by hidden renovation conditions uncovered during demolition and by schedule impacts that require additional work and redesign. Committee members repeatedly pressed the project team on why conditions were not revealed earlier and whether initial site investigations were adequate.

Project team accounting and funding details presented at the meeting included: a slab-basement cost element that the team broke out to explain larger totals (the slab cost presented for 1922 building work totaled about $1,750,000); a contingency line calculated as 12.5% of the remaining scope for the 1922 and 1892 areas; and cumulative billing and reimbursement numbers the team said were current as of the presentation. Presenters said the project has billed about $284,000,000 to date; the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has paid approximately $178,000,000, and the project team reported a $25,900,000 reimbursement request pending with the MSBA.

Committee members asked whether higher contingency would have been prudent from the start. Presenters said they had carried a 7% contingency for the renovation—above typical industry renovation guidance of 5%—but that actual contingency use in the 1922 building has run at about a 12.5% burn rate of the remaining scope. \"We carried 7% contingency, which is way above the industry norm,\" a Suffolk representative said; later the team added that the current burn rate in that portion of the project is about 12.5%.

Several committee members urged the project team to pursue value-engineering or cost savings and to reduce the contingency request before returning to the City Council. The project team said it has pushed back on change-order pricing, routinely seeking iterations and reductions before accepting costs, and that it can return to the City Council for additional funding if needed.

The meeting record included the committee’s routine business: the minutes were approved at the start of the session and the meeting was later adjourned by motion.

Next steps noted by presenters included continued negotiations to reduce the extension request, ongoing review of outstanding change orders, and further briefings to the committee on contingency status.","Project team told the Lowell School Building Committee that renovation surprises have strained contingency funds, with $21.2 million originally carried and roughly $16.2 million spent; the team said it expects contingency to be depleted by the start of next year and is negotiating an estimated $25 million schedule-extension request.","actionData","errors"]

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Presenters cite hidden walls and other unforeseen conditions at Lowell High; team outlines O&M, website and program updates

Lowell school project team warns contingency nearly exhausted; seeks additional funds while negotiating $25M extension