The Committee of Joint School Buildings on Aug. 12 received an update on Priority 1 construction work at Hillside and McLaughlin Middle Schools and voted to accept the monthly progress report for submission to the Board of Mayor & Aldermen and the Board of School Committee.

Mark Glennfest, the owner’s project manager with Left Field, told the committee that site work is under way at both priority schools, including drainage, excavation for an elevator pit at McLaughlin and removal of asphalt. He said roofing adhesion testing and soils removal are complete at portions of the sites, and that Consigli has submitted a resubmission of a guaranteed maximum price as part of the contracting process. "We do not foresee any heating issues," Glennfest said of the modular ERV and HVAC work, adding the installation will continue through the summer and partway into September.

The update also covered Group 2 projects—Parkside and Southside—and the Beach Street project. Glennfest said Beach Street has progressed from design development into construction documents and is more than 50% through programming; Parkside and Southside are in design development with a 75% construction documents threshold. He reported that, by value, about 5% of work is under way at Hillside and McLaughlin and that the project team is reconciling design-development estimates and preparing pricing sets to go out to subcontractors.

Committee members asked for clarifications on several items. Committeewoman Turner asked whether the ERV/HVAC work would affect air conditioning at the start of the school year; Glennfest replied it would not affect cooling, only heating later in the season. Turner said she would "hate for the AC to be impacted at the start of school because those can get pretty steamy." The committee also discussed a new teacher parking lot at Hillside: Glennfest said the new lot is being designed as a permanent lot with lighting and drainage and will provide the same number of spaces as the previous lot, allowing the temporary field-area parking to be removed and the field returned to grass at the end of the project.

Glennfest said the modular units have some cosmetic warranty items—cracked or worn floor tiles and ceiling tiles—and that the modular contractor Triumph accepted a memorandum from the architect SMMA and is scheduled to return on the 20th to perform repairs. He described the project procurement practice called "d-scope," in which the team narrows trade bidders to one or two subcontractors to review contract requirements before awarding work.

The committee raised an operational safety item related to the modulars. A committee member said the Manchester Fire Department had been dispatched to McDonough for alarms that appeared to report trouble in the main building while directing responders to the modulars. Josh Gagne, the school district facilities director who was present, said he was not aware of the alarms. Chairman O'Connell said the committee "should follow-up with the fire department" and asked Gagne to verify with his shop; Gagne agreed to check.

The committee voted to accept the report and submit it for informational purposes to the Board of Mayor & Aldermen and the Board of School Committee. The motion was moved by Mr. Theriault and seconded by Miss Soule; the committee adopted the motion by voice vote ("the ayes have it"). Glennfest said the project websites and weekly OAC (owner–architect–contractor) meeting notes are updated with photos and logistics plans and that the project team will continue preconstruction and procurement activities, with a pricing-reconciliation meeting scheduled with DPW the day after the committee meeting.

The committee did not set new dates for decisions beyond the near-term procurement and coordination meetings; members requested that award information and scope-award updates be circulated by email and included in the updated monthly report.