New Hampstead K–8: construction team reports surcharge settlement, April foundations and $130M contract

Bordeaux Construction project manager Ben Warren updated the board on the new K–8 school site and schedule, detailing soil remediation, schedule milestones and soft‑cost allowances.

The center of the presentation covered the preloading ("surcharge") strategy the contractor used to stabilize soft, low‑lying soils at the site. Warren said the project required roughly 300,000 cubic yards of fill placed over the planned building pad and that geotechnical instruments are currently monitoring settlement. "We have approximately an 80 day period that we anticipate the settlement to take, and all signs are pointing to it happening within that window," Warren said.

Why it matters: The soil remediation is a critical, schedule‑sensitive step on a high‑cost project. The district’s construction manager said beginning foundations on schedule depends on settlement meeting forecasted targets and on receiving outstanding permits for stormwater and the off‑site sewer.

Key details from the update - Contract and budget: the construction contract is about $130,000,000 (GMP). The team said current estimates show subcontracts largely let; contingencies for owner and design‑build are roughly $3.3 million and had not been spent at the time of the meeting. - Schedule: site surcharge completed December; foundation work targeted to begin about April 1; substantial completion forecast for May 2027 and final completion in summer 2027. - Off‑site work and allowances: the off‑site sewer is budgeted with a $2,000,000 allowance; the sewer line will run through easements toward Route 17 and include at least one lift station on‑site and a county‑provided lift station near 17. Roadway improvements and stormwater permitting remain in design or review. - Commissioning and soft costs: the district is short‑listing commissioning firms and preparing owner‑preferred requirements; furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E), playground equipment and commissioning were discussed as soft costs to be finalized.

Discussion and next steps Board members asked about DOT permitting and expected reviews; the project team said they were awaiting a traffic impact analysis (TIA) review and expected DOT approval shortly. Warren said the project team planned to begin foundations once the stormwater permit and TIA were approved and that the county’s project staff were facilitating an accelerated review.

Ending: Warren said the project was progressing on the planned timeline but emphasized the next months — settlement monitoring and off‑site sewer design/permitting — were critical to maintaining the April foundation start.