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Washington School construction on track, city share reduced to about $10 million, officials say
Summary
Project managers reported progress and photos for the Washington School rebuild, citing strong minority participation, low change-order rates and project contingency of about $1.7 million.
Project managers gave a progress report on the Washington School construction during the March 24 council meeting and presented photographs of classrooms, gym finishes, millwork and a planned themed media center.
The presentation listed construction metrics: 392 safe workdays with no lost-time injuries, approximately 11,000 labor hours, and 40% minority participation on the job (the project target was 25%). The team described classroom millwork, composite sinks and an interior navigation color system to help kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students find classrooms.
Officials said the project's original scope and estimated city share changed during design. The original appropriation assumed a larger city share; through special legislation, a space-waiver process, and demonstrating that remodeling costs exceeded new construction, the city secured higher state reimbursement rates and credits, bringing the city's share to about $10 million from an earlier $19 million appropriation.
As of the presentation, project contingency stood at about $1.7 million (roughly 4% of the job), change orders were at 1% (the state allows 5%), and negotiations yielded $241,000 in credits. A $75,000 utility rebate was expected to reduce initial electric costs for the newly opened building. The team said the school is targeted to open in June, with a benchmark date in the presentation of roughly 6/9.
Council members and the mayor praised the team's work, noting efficient bill payment and use of relationships with contractors, and asked about details such as bus routing, restroom layouts and playscape materials. Project managers said they addressed bus drop-off routing, provided separate parent pickup and bus entrances and upgraded playground surfacing from engineered mulch to rubber for durability.
Ending: Officials said Washington School will be a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient building with reduced operating costs and safety features; final closeout work and contingencies remain, and any unused project funds are restricted by state reimbursement rules and cannot be moved to other city projects.
