Facilities manager reports progress on Brown, Neck River, Olsen and district projects; on‑call carpentry contracts awarded

The Madison Board of Education Facilities Committee received a construction manager update Wednesday covering work at Brown School, Neck River Elementary, Olsen site work and districtwide moving and carpentry plans.

An unnamed facilities staff member reported that Brown School’s pre‑K room conversion and associated abatement and testing work have moved into contract finalization. "BMP would start on April 12th and continue straight through to completion in June," the staff member said, referencing the contractor responsible for abatement, monitoring and testing. The staff member said abatement work is planned for April break when buildings are vacant and that the project will come before the town selectmen for approval on Jan. 14.

The report said Brown site work and playground planning continue, with designers balancing costs by choosing between cutting into or raising the grade to avoid an expensive base pad for playground surfacing. The Brown Media Center will receive new furniture, fixtures and equipment and new flooring over the summer; staff said books and shelving will be removed before flooring work and shelving reinstalled afterward.

Neck River Elementary was described as "status quo" and on time and on budget. The facilities staff said a crew from the local high school has visited Neck River and that contractors have shared lead‑trade contacts with students to encourage career interest. The staff member said the district met with movers and has purchased packing boxes in preparation for larger moves tied to building projects.

Olsen site work moved through a minor site plan review with town zoning and is expected to receive permits within weeks. The manager said some punch‑list items remain from prior work at Brown and that retainage is being used to complete those items; the district plans to finish remaining small items directly.

The committee heard that the district awarded two on‑call specialty carpentry contracts to JJ Sullivan Contracting and Dino and Sons for work exceeding the maintenance department’s capacity; those contractors will be available to perform jobs typically above $10,000 without separate procurement. Staff also said that movers and move management planning are further along than at comparable districts and that preliminary pricing came in within expected margins.

The meeting included no formal votes. Committee members asked for board copies of media or student videos produced at job sites and discussed coordination with the town on baseball and softball field projects; staff said the softball work is a town project while the baseball field is the district’s and that coordinating both can save costs.

Ending: Staff said they will continue to advance contracts, finalize permits and schedule summer construction and moving activity; the committee accepted the update and had no motions.