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Board approves Foster School change order for site work; transition committee to post principal search with July 2025 start
Summary
The board unanimously approved a change order for John Kino and Company to add aggregate and complete site work that became necessary after contractors encountered unstable soils at the Foster School site; project staff said the work is covered by allowances and will not increase the overall project budget.
The Evanston CCSD 65 board approved a change order Jan. 27 for a contract with John Kino and Company to provide additional stone aggregate and related site work at the Foster School construction site. Construction staff told the board the change was necessary after heavy equipment encountered unstable soils; moving some work earlier and using recycled concrete reduced unit costs and kept the overall project budget intact.
Owner’s representative Ben Cogan and contractor representatives outlined progress: concrete foundation work for the elevator shaft is underway, bid group 3 came in about $3.5 million under budget, and the overall project budget remains at $48.5 million with roughly 90% of the budget under contract.
Brian Kronrider (construction manager) and other staff said the additional aggregate was originally planned for a later bid package (bid group 6) but had to be applied sooner so heavy equipment would have a stable working pad. The district and contractor financed the work through existing allowances and borrowing from bid package 6 so the change order did not increase the project’s overall budget. Kronrider described the order as “critical to move along as essential to both the schedule and the work and the safety of the equipment.”
The board voted unanimously to approve the change order resolution for the John Kino and Company contract. Trustees also received a project schedule update: precast wall installation is planned for March–April with preparatory work ongoing; staff visited the precast plant in Germantown, Wisconsin to review the fabrication process; and ongoing building‑information modeling meetings are coordinating trades and shop drawings.
Separately, Dr. Charmika McCoy, chair of the Foster School transition committee, reported the committee has met four times and will post the principal position the week of the board meeting. The district plans to interview candidates in March and bring finalists to the board in April for approval; the new principal would begin a year early on July 1, 2025, to oversee planning and the school’s startup activities.
The change order vote and transition timeline were part of the meeting’s construction update and were accompanied by detailed budget and schedule slides in the board packet.
Action taken - Approved change order regarding the contract with John Kino and Company for additional aggregate/site work at Foster School (unanimous).
