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Board selects construction manager, approves legal services for $110 million capital project
Summary
The Board approved retention of Construction Associates as the district's construction manager for the district's large capital improvement program and separately approved a legal services agreement specifically for the capital project; board members discussed the RFP process, bid ranges and reimbursement rules.
The Watertown City School District Board of Education approved the retention of Construction Associates to provide construction management services for the district’s ongoing capital improvement work and voted to approve a related legal services agreement for the $110 million capital project.
The resolution approved retention of Construction Associates after an RFP and interview process. District officials said proposals ranged from an initial low near $4,000,000 to more than $6,000,000; administrators said the selected firm was not necessarily the lowest bidder but offered community ties and experience working on the district’s prior capital planning. A board member noted Construction Associates has been “a member of this community for over 20 years” and had been involved in earlier planning steps for the larger capital program.
Treasury and legal context: District officials said legal services for the capital project are being procured under a separate agreement; the district noted that construction-related legal services are eligible for reimbursement—district staff said approximately 53¢ of each dollar for those services would be reimbursed by state capital funds, meaning a smaller local taxpayer share for the expense.
Motion and outcome: The board approved the construction-manager retention resolution and then separately approved the legal services agreement for capital-project legal work. Board members voted in favor of both motions.
What board members said: A trustee asked for more context on the RFP process and why the selected firm was chosen; administrators described the public procurement, interview panels and that a board member participated in interviews. One board member asked whether the legal-services fee was a flat amount; administrators said previously incurred legal work would be credited against the agreement and that reimbursement rules apply.
Next steps: The district will finalize contracts with Construction Associates and proceed with construction management activities for the prioritized capital items. Administrators said FEMA claims and other outside funding streams could affect scope and prioritization of later items on the capital list.
