Cheshire committee approves invoices, change orders and two classroom 'calming‑room' not‑to‑exceed requests

The Town of Cheshire committee overseeing the school modernization program voted Thursday to approve multiple consultant and construction invoices, several project change orders (PCOs) and two not‑to‑exceed allowances to add small calming/reading rooms at the new Norton and Barnum school sites.

Budget and schedule status

Project staff reported both buildings remain on schedule and within the broad contingency established at contract award. For the Barnum project the presentation showed a baseline construction budget figure discussed during the meeting of about $68.63 million; for Norton the baseline figure discussed was roughly $63 million. The teams said the projects retain multi‑million dollar contingency and bid‑savings buffers and that a first state reimbursement under the school construction grant was expected to be processed by the state and arrive to the town within roughly the coming week.

Invoices and professional services approved

The committee approved the following consultant invoices that were on the agenda (amounts as listed in the meeting packet and moved/seconded during the meeting):

- MP Planning (other consultant): $5,298.75 (invoice 25078) - MP Planning (other consultant): $5,298.75 (invoice 25100) - Arcadis (owner’s representative): $12,729.06 (invoice 36066718) and $12,889.07 (invoice 36066741) - Tekton Architects (architectural services): $84,748 (invoice 48506) and $73,987 (invoice 48507) - O&G (construction manager): $5,482,113.96 (invoice 13, New North/Barnum) and $4,311,739.82 (invoice 13, Norton) - Tescom (material testing): $40,530.60 (invoice referenced as 13166/13144 in packet) - Eagle Environmental (environmental services): $475 (invoice 2445)

All the above were moved, seconded and approved in roll calls recorded during the meeting.

Change orders and PCOs

Committee members approved a set of project change orders covering utility relocations, contractor RFIs, and field conditions. Among the PCOs approved or credited in the meeting packet were:

- Norton: PCO 05 — increase in conduit size to meet code: $4,123 (paid from contract allowances/contingency) - Norton: PCO 18 R1 — Route/utility pole relocation (frontage): $14,381 (utility allowance) - Norton: PCO 26 — Eversource transformer and electrical connection fees: $13,767.44 (utility allowance)

- Barnum (North End): PCO 8 R1 — kitchen floor sink for kettle (shop‑drawing coordination): $2,026 (owner contingency) - Barnum: PCO 11 — Frontier/Eversource pole relocation (Marion Road): $5,957 (utility allowance) - Barnum: PCO 12 — Eversource permanent transformer and cabling: $25,948 (utility allowance) - Barnum: PCO 13 — Frontier line relocation: $10,859 (utility allowance) - Barnum: PCO 15 — tile rebid (contractor omitted scope): increase $99,588; after using a $150,000 allowance there is a $50,412 credit back to owner’s contingency - Barnum: PCO 20 R1 — clarify and add fixed louvers: $3,548 (centers contingency) - Barnum: PCO 24 — credit for removing fire alarm strobes in IDF/MDF closets: credit $6,437 (owner contingency)

Project staff noted some PCO amounts came from the contract’s trade allowances and contingency lines rather than increasing the GMP; where that was the case staff flagged the source of funds during the meeting.

Calming/reading room requests (not‑to‑exceed approvals)

School district staff presented requests to add small calming/reading rooms (de‑escalation spaces) in both Norton and Barnum. The committee approved the requests on a not‑to‑exceed basis pending final design team cost verification:

- Norton: PCO 28 — not‑to‑exceed $112,035 (design already completed; committee approved on a not‑to‑exceed basis; staff said final design‑team review is expected to reduce the number slightly) - Barnum (North End): not‑to‑exceed $99,752 (committee approved on a not‑to‑exceed basis)

School and district officials described the rooms as small, supervised spaces for students who are dysregulated, aimed at providing a dignified, private place to regroup without removing a child from adult supervision. Committee members said they support the operational need but asked project staff and the architect to confirm quantities, materials and any potential educational‑spec impacts before final change orders are executed.

Other matters

- Tekton architects: the committee approved two small additional‑services amendments (one per school) to Tekton for $7,500 each to support the revised room design work; those amendments were approved prior to the larger PCO approvals. - State reimbursement: staff said the first reimbursement request submitted in mid‑July had been processed through question rounds with the state and that town staff expected arrival of the first payment shortly; committee members asked staff to keep the board apprised of any timing changes because reimbursements affect cash‑flow planning.

Who spoke (selected)

- Rich (project staff), Justin (design/construction staff) and Ryan (construction administration) presented the monthly progress, cost‑control and PCO logs. - Jody (principal) and other school staff explained the operational need for the calming/reading rooms. - Committee members (several) asked for clarifications on contingency sources, PCO funding lines and the status of outstanding field reports.

Provenance (selected transcript excerpts)

- topicintro: block_id:"7436.70", local_start:0, local_end:84, evidence_excerpt:"Alright. We need a motion for invoice number 25078 for other consultant, MP Planning. $5,298.75. Motion to approve." (start of invoice approvals)

- topfinish: block_id:"9868.13", local_start:0, local_end:64, evidence_excerpt:"All those in favor? ... All those in favor? And it's unanimous. ... Adjournment." (closing of meeting after votes)

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