The Norwood Middle School Building Committee approved a package of contractor change orders on Monday and voted to proceed with most work on the new fields and walking path while excluding a proposed full-size softball backstop for later consideration.

Committee Chair Shannon Vogt opened discussion of change-order set No. 25, which included a range of items from minor electrical relocations to site and rooftop lighting. After removing the walking-path line item for separate consideration, members voted to approve the remaining change orders, a total of $270,708. The roll-call vote was unanimous.

Why it matters: The change orders clear outstanding contractor requests and allow final punch-list work to continue before W.T. Rich demobilizes at year-end. The walking-path and field reconfiguration produced extended debate because the scope affects athletic layouts, drainage and whether the town or contractor will perform parts of the work.

Committee and staff described the walking-path scope as a combination of reclaimed-asphalt path installation, regrading of the slope between two fields, removal and resetting of several field-goal posts, relocation of workout equipment, new trees and loam-and-seed work. An original contractor estimate for the full walking-path scope (including a new full-size softball backstop) was $418,080.74; committee members objected that some line items were “balloon” estimates and requested more detailed pricing and a breakdown between town and contractor responsibilities.

After discussing alternatives, committee members agreed to remove the backstop from the immediate scope and asked staff to provide detailed line-item pricing and to separate any town-performed work. The committee then voted to proceed with the walking-path and field reconfiguration scope without the backstop. A motion to approve the walking-path package excluding the backstop — recorded in the meeting as approximately $317,902 — passed unanimously. The backstop decision will return for further review at the November meeting.

Committee members pressed for clarity on schedule: staff indicated that parts of the work the town will perform must be released immediately for fall completion to coordinate with youth sports and W.T. Rich’s demobilization. Landscaping and hydroseeding depend on timing; if approval waits until the following month, staff said fall seeding would likely not occur this season.

The committee also directed staff to provide the detailed pricing and to identify which items the town’s Department of Public Works will perform before finalizing any not-to-exceed allowances or releasing further work to the contractor.

The meeting transcript records repeated concerns about the proposed $89,956 backstop price and whether the field receives enough organized use to justify that expense. Staff said the high-cost option reflected a full-size baseball-style backstop intended to protect the building under worst-case use; they also said the contractor could break out demo versus new install costs on request.

The committee removed the walking-path item from the change-order tally (CO 25) and approved the remainder of CO 25 at $270,708. The committee subsequently approved the separate walking-path package, excluding the backstop, at approximately $317,902. The backstop remains an agenda item for November.