Crescent City, Palatka school projects 48% complete; contingency, furniture and timelines discussed

Contractors and district staff reported steady progress Tuesday on the Crescent City and Palatka preK–6 school projects and said contingencies and contract allowances currently leave the district in a stable position.

At a Putnam County School Capital Oversight Committee meeting, Bill Elliott, senior project manager with Ajax, said the Crescent City campus is being built under a guaranteed maximum price and that the construction team has produced regular progress videos. “We’re fortunate enough to be building the Crescent City PK–6, and, I don’t really have anything but good things to say,” Elliott said.

The project team said overall completion stands at about 48%, with framing and above-ceiling mechanical, electrical and plumbing work largely underway. Ken Ausley and Todd Duffy, who presented the site update, said the roof is dried in, windows are going in and interior finishes such as drywall and paint are advancing. Ausley said crews will begin Brandy Lane road work next week to prepare the bus access off the site.

Why it matters: The two campuses are part of the district’s bond-funded construction program. Schedule and contingency levels affect when occupancy can occur and whether additional bonding or contingency transfers will be needed.

Contractors and district staff described contingency tracking, buyouts and escalation protections. Bill Elliott said the project tracks original contingency and projected needs, and that the team had identified material and specification credits that improved the contingency position. The presenters gave the committee numeric snapshots during the briefing: one presenter said the project began with roughly $2.3 million in contingency and later stated “2,318,000” as a remaining figure; another speaker described a projected contingency figure of “2,193,792” and a current-contingency figure around “1.8577” (figures as stated in the meeting transcript). The presenters emphasized those numbers are tracked and adjusted as buyouts and direct purchases occur.

Materials and subcontracting: Project leaders said material prices remain generally upward but that subcontractor bidding on the projects included escalation allowances. Elliott described a subcontractor bidding practice the team used: subs provided base bids plus an escalation allowance that could be verified later if markets moved, and the allowance was captured in the GMP. The presenters said nearly all trade packages have been bought out and the team has not yet seen escalation claims large enough to affect the GMP.

Fixtures, furniture and equipment (FF&E): The committee asked about desks, electronics and the budget for FF&E. A district presenter said vendors had been narrowed to three and that staff were visiting existing schools to review options. “Rough number is $2,000,000,” the presenter said when asked for a ballpark cost for furnishings for the two new schools (quotation as spoken during the meeting). The presenters also said the district maintains a separate budget outside the GMP for FF&E and will assess whether any existing items in other schools are suitable for transfer; they cautioned that equipment purchased with restricted funds (for example, Title I purchases) may be tagged to a specific school and have transfer restrictions.

Schedule and occupancy: The construction team said the projects remain on an adjusted schedule after earlier vertical delays. Ausley described the schedule as “we’re gonna stay on schedule and be finished right at the September first of October” (quotation as spoken during the meeting). The group also said there is a possibility of phased occupancy for Crescent City High School phases and that the elementary campus in Crescent City could open earlier depending on readiness.

Discussion and next steps: Committee members pressed staff for documentation on the FF&E budget and asked that the district provide the per-school FF&E estimates. Staff said they would provide the estimate and that vendors will inventory existing furniture to identify items that can be reused. The construction team said they will notify neighbors before Brandy Lane work begins and will report immediately if any subcontractor performance or material escalation threatens the GMP or schedule.

Ending: Presenters thanked the committee and said they would continue to provide monthly updates and progress videos.