Select Board approves $165.2 million GMP for Pierce School; windows and sprinkler allowance included

The Town of Brookline Select Board voted unanimously Feb. 5 to approve a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract with Consigli Construction in the amount of $165,193,282 for construction of the Pierce School, a project the Building Commission reviewed Jan. 30, 2025.

The GMP, announced at a Feb. 5 special meeting, folds phase 1 demolition into the single contract and includes late additions such as park and drainage work, a $1,250,000 allowance for sprinkler work and an alternate for full replacement of 57 windows in the historic Pierce building priced at $656,507. The project team told the board the GMP is roughly $2 million below the previously circulated 90% budget estimate and that phase 1 is on schedule.

Why it matters: The vote obligates the town to a major construction contract and commits borrowing and reimbursement decisions that will interact with Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) participation. Board members pressed the project team on whether added work is eligible for MSBA reimbursement, how park subsurface value is being handled under Article 97, and whether replacement windows have been reviewed by preservation authorities.

Adam Keane, owner’s project manager with Left Field, presented the GMP and said, “phase 1 is on time and on budget” and that the GMP as presented is “approximately $2,000,000 on this contract less on our on this GMP that we're presenting to you today in comparison to our 90% budget.” Lap Yan of the Building Department, who has been leading the town’s work…