School renovation moves into construction phase; foundation, boilers and first addition on track

Construction on the planned school renovation has begun and is advancing on multiple fronts, school leaders told the SMS School Board at its September meeting. Concrete foundations for the project's first addition have started, new boilers are on order and the district expects the first addition to be ready for occupancy in January, administrators said. The board heard that the contractor has secured a foundation permit from the town and the state fire marshal, and that roofing work completed over the summer removed a major scheduling constraint. The district's owner's representative said the design drawings will reach completion during the month and weekly coordination meetings are continuing, administrators added. Administrators and the board framed the schedule in three construction phases: complete the first addition and move students in, complete the second renovation, and then renovate the cafeteria over the summer. "Concrete foundations for the first addition will start this week," the owners representative reported; work to replace boilers and install an underground propane tank is under way, the report said. School staff said they are seeing limited disruption so far but that some activities can be loud; contractors are doing early-morning work and coordinating daily with administrators. "They're incredibly accommodating," an administrator said of the contractor team, and the board noted weekly meetings and mock-ups have helped keep the project on schedule. Board members asked about technical details such as boiler efficiency and engineering specifics; the district said equipment has been procured and that additional design layers (electrical, millwork, specific window and insulation details) will be completed in the coming design phases. Owners' representative Mark (owner's rep) and the contractor's foreman were cited as daily points of contact for construction coordination. The board did not take new formal actions on the project at the meeting but received a construction update and confirmation that the first phase is expected to be complete in time for student occupancy in January.