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Anna Reynolds renovation wraps up; John Wallace project set to begin, officials say
Summary
Building committee chair Steven Woods told the board that the Anna Reynolds renovation is nearing commissioning and that the committee was able to restore multiple value-engineered items; John Wallace work will start this summer and is currently under budget.
The Anna Reynolds Elementary renovation is nearing final commissioning and the John Wallace project is set to begin this summer, building committee chair Steven Woods told the Newington Board of Education on June 11.
Woods said contractors are finishing air‑conditioning and heating adjustments at Anna Reynolds and that commissioning should be complete within days. He credited careful project management and contingency planning with restoring items that had been previously value-engineered out of the project while staying substantially under earlier worst-case cost scenarios.
Woods listed items restored or added back to the Anna Reynolds project: a new front canopy (roughly $250,000 including design fees), a courtyard playground (about $130,000), additional computers and displays (roughly $55,000 in computers and $67,000 in ViewSonic screens), courtyard landscaping and a new infield system for a softball field ($80,000), security lighting ($30,000), and other furniture and equipment—totaling approximately $800,000 in additional features funded from contingency savings and contract efficiencies.
He described a major construction challenge in one classroom wing where an unexpectedly poor slab required an innovative ‘floating floor’ solution that reduced remediation estimates from roughly $1.5–$2 million to under $250,000. Woods thanked the construction manager (Newfield Construction), the district business office and custodial staff for coordination on an occupied‑building renovation.
Woods said John Wallace’s project is a simpler scope with rooftop HVAC units and that it is starting under budget; he estimated an 18‑month timeline for completion and said the committee expects to begin heavy work after school is out for the summer. The committee reported it had leveraged earlier savings and avoided major value engineering on the Wallace project.
Board members and administrators praised committee members, construction managers and district staff. The board did not take a formal vote; the update was informational. Woods also recognized longtime Business Manager Lou for his role in project oversight as Lou prepares to retire.
