Hopkins addition on track; temporary occupancy, traffic plan set before school year

Hopkins’ new addition and renovation remain on schedule and on budget, the school committee heard Aug. 14, with a temporary certificate of occupancy expected the Monday after the meeting that “will allow the teachers to come back on the nineteenth,” project manager Carly Spink said. The construction team also presented a revised traffic plan for arrival and dismissal to keep parent vehicles, buses and construction access separate when students return.

The update matters because the temporary occupancy and remaining site work affect whether staff and students can safely use the new spaces at the start of the year. Spink said contractors are working overnight and weekends to finish punch-list items and that the team is “on track to get our temporary certificate of occupancy on Monday,” allowing teachers to occupy the building ahead of students. The committee was told the majority of students are expected to return later in the month per the district calendar.

Site and schedule details: the contractor has finished brick installation on the addition, is nearing completion on curtain wall work and exterior doors, and completed paving and most striping in the north parking lot. Mechanical equipment set on the roof is being commissioned so HVAC systems are operational before students arrive. Spink said the project has handled an expected number of change order requests tied to renovation work in existing construction, noting “there’s been an uptick in PCOs. That’s not concerning. It’s to some degree expected” when crews uncover variable conditions in older structures.

Safety and logistics: Spink reported one July incident in which a laborer fainted after an injury and required emergency medical response; she said there have been no further on-site issues since. The committee reviewed a return-to-school traffic plan that keeps the parent drop-off queuing lane separate from the bus lane, uses temporary barrier curbing to extend the bus lane while permanent work continues, and adds signage at a short two‑way construction access to control construction vehicle movements.

Budget and schedule context: Spink told the committee the project “remains on budget” and that some change order work will be rolled into the August payment requisition. The district shared high-level billing and amendment summaries for the architect and contractors and said two recent amendments related to loop-road work would be reflected in the next report. Committee members asked about contingency usage and percent complete; district staff said construction billings were about 44 percent to date at the time of the meeting but that some recent work had not yet been invoiced and that the project was slightly ahead of physical work completion.

Charleswood site: the committee also received an early update on the Charleswood project. Tree clearing and stump removal are largely complete and about 18 acres will be disturbed for initial site work, including temporary drainage and a construction roadway. The district said foundation excavations are expected to begin in late August or early September, site trailers and temporary power will be established when the general contractor mobilizes, and the town’s inspectional services remain engaged on permitting.

The presentation closed with an assurance that the district will distribute the traffic plan to new parents and post construction updates online; committee members asked that financial logs and the full pending change order report be included in the next meeting packet.