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Committee members raise major quality and oversight concerns over Martin junior high construction; call for investigation
Summary
Committee members criticized work at the new Martin junior high and discussed investigating the general contractor, OPM team and subcontractors amid reports of numerous unresolved issues and potential hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs.
Members of the School Committee used the building committee report to raise serious concerns about construction quality and oversight at Martin junior high.
A member said the roof work and interior framing are ongoing but reported an expanding list of defects and deficiencies stemming from earlier work. The committee member warned the public that unresolved items documented at a news visit two years earlier have grown from a list of 14 to perhaps 60 items now and said repairs could total “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
The committee member urged regular access for district trades staff to conduct inspections before walls are closed: “We should find a way to get them in there at least every 2 weeks, minimum an hour, hour and a half, rolling forward so they can really see what's behind that sheet.”
When asked who could be held responsible, a committee member said, “It would have to be Cobain, the GC,” and others said they would look at the owner’s project manager (OPM) team and subcontractors to determine accountability. Another member described the situation as “shameful,” adding of the $200 million high school: “this nonsense of under budget, on time, under budget, it was just a scam, a smoke show.”
Staff acknowledged the concerns and said they would investigate workmanship, warranty responsibilities and contract remedies. The building committee report also included routine project updates for Martin, Waddington and Riverside Middle School (punch‑list completion, upcoming sprinkler work and warranty walk‑throughs).
Next steps: committee members asked staff to begin an inquiry into the outstanding deficiencies, to convene an internal review including facilities staff and OPM oversight, and to prepare documentation that could support warranty claims or other remedies.
