Board approves change orders for Haverford Middle School; owner’s representative says contingency nearly exhausted

The School District of Haverford Township on the evening of its regular meeting approved change orders for the Haverford Middle School renovation after demolition revealed extensive hidden conditions, and the district’s owner’s representative said the project’s contingency and allowances are nearly exhausted. The board approved the recommendation of the owner’s representative, CB Development Services Inc., and authorized the change orders as listed on the agenda. District officials said they are monitoring the schedule to have the school ready for September.

Why it matters: The change orders follow demolition that exposed unexpected wall and foundation work across classrooms and the gym. Those conditions increased costs and reduced the district’s available contingency and allowances, creating a higher risk that the district could face additional overruns before the project is complete.

Board members voted to accept the owner’s representative’s recommendation after a brief discussion about the scope and timing of the newly discovered work. Ken, the owner’s representative for CB Development Services Inc., told the board demolition that began when school ended exposed "a lot of unfinished walls that would have been expected to be plaster similar to this, but there was nothing behind it all," and that the gym work revealed additional block work and foundation needs. "It's quite extensive," he said.

Ken said the district’s remaining allowances are small. "So right now our contingency is even a little lower than that. We have about a $100,000 of allowances left," he said, adding that the project team expects most of those remaining funds to be expended to finish the work. When a board member asked whether the district would have to cover overruns, Ken said, "That is possible right now, for what I'm projecting. It's gonna be very close. So we're we've already been talking about that with district administration and how we're gonna handle that if that does happen." The meeting record shows the motion passed on a voice vote (all in favor).

On schedule, Ken said crews are working extended hours and weekends and that visible progress will come quickly: "For example, they paved today. So within another week, the front parking lot's gonna look very different," and most sidewalks should be completed in about two weeks. Inside the building, he said demolition is finished and the next priorities are classrooms and the kitchen, which he described as essential for opening school: "The classrooms and the kitchen are priority because, obviously, we can't have school without them."

Discussion in the meeting repeatedly noted that while the team is tracking to complete the work for the fall, there remain punch-list items and a small but real possibility of additional costs. District staff and the owner’s representative said they are maintaining close communication with contractors and developing contingency plans should additional funds be required.

The board approved the change orders as listed on the agenda. District staff said they will continue to report progress to the board; the board’s next publicly announced regular meeting is scheduled for 08/07/2025.