Board approves larger construction testing allowance for 6–12 campus after site complexity; GMP amendment approved for middle‑school demolition

Scott Hammitt, presenting for the district’s project team, said March 5 that the district must increase the construction testing allowance for the new 6–12 campus because site conditions and added scope substantially exceeded the allowance set when the contract was negotiated.

Hammitt told the board the Ohio Building Code and the project’s design standards require third‑party construction testing in categories that include soils, concrete, masonry, steel connections, fire stopping and spray‑on fireproofing. He said the testing agency (the district’s geotechnical firm) is a third party hired through the architect’s contract and that the district holds an allowance in the contract to pay testing invoices as a pass‑through.

Hammitt said the original testing allowance negotiated with the construction manager at risk was $325,000. He reported invoices to December totaled approximately $541,762.72, producing an overage of roughly $216,000, with $197,564.36 outstanding at the time of the presentation. He recommended an allowance increase of just…