PMA reports steady progress on Bristol Warren high school rebuild; steel delivery may move up to October

Nicole, owner’s project manager for PMA, told the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee on Sept. 15 that construction on the district’s new high school is moving ahead and that the project remains on the approved $186,000,000 budget.

PMA reported $17,000,000 billed to date and roughly $7,000,000 expected in PAYGO reimbursements. Nicole said contingency spending is currently zero but that the project is tracking a roughly 20% exposure for an audio-enhancement alternate — about $2,000,000 — that the team is leaving on the change log in case savings emerge later.

Committee members said they wanted clearer short-term schedules for when students and staff will need to move. “If the plan is still for fifth graders to move up to the middle school next year, is that the date that you plan to have any work done and completed by for that move?” asked School Committee member Miss Ferreira. Superintendent Anna Riley said the completion date currently listed for Kickemuit Middle School work is Aug. 28, 2026, and that Mr. Murrell will prepare a timeline and an update for the committee’s October meeting.

PMA walked the committee through recent site work and the construction schedule. Site clearing, temporary parking and foundation work are underway across the building zones PMA labeled A through F; PMA said much of D Building is complete and that excavation across the site is roughly 60% complete, with roughly 40% of concrete foundations in place. PMA said a steel kickoff meeting is set for next week and that the contractor is now aiming for steel erection as early as October 2025 instead of the January 2026 date shown in earlier schedules. PMA listed Phase 1 financial completion as May 28, 2027, with Phase 2 ending in December 2027.

Committee members asked how schedule shifts affect the project cash-flow forecast. “So the forecast doesn’t change,” PMA said, explaining the long-term spending profile remains the same even if monthly cash calls shift because of early delays. PMA cautioned that the next large monthly spike will come when the contractor buys structural steel.

Members also pressed for family-facing details tied to the middle-school reconfiguration. Miss Ferreira asked whether the district will share a Kickemuit Middle School floor plan and how fifth graders and older students will be kept separate. Riley said principals and Mr. Murrell will schedule parent meetings and that Murrell will provide a sketch timeline and further details at the October meeting. “One of the things that we talked about when we said we’ll have fifth and sixth grade on one floor and seventh and eighth grade on the other floor,” Riley said, “we can’t move the library, the cafeteria, the art rooms, the music rooms. Those exist where they exist so kids will move in and out, but the art rooms are actually in one corner.”

On-site quality controls were a recurring focus. PMA said a geotechnical engineer (Parr) is on-site daily to witness footing excavations, a third-party inspection firm checks rebar and forms before concrete is poured, and PMA performs concrete testing for slump and strength. PMA also described a site process for background checks: workers must show BCI documentation at the contractor’s trailer and receive a construction-site sticker for their hard hat.

Committee members asked about weather risk. PMA said the critical schedule risk is getting foundations in before winter; steel crews will generally work through winter weather, but placing concrete in cold weather requires temporary heat and complicates the schedule. With roughly 20% of foundations left, PMA said it aims to finish footings before winter to avoid winter concrete work.

Why this matters: the high school rebuild is the district’s largest capital project in memory, affects student assignments and transitional plans for multiple schools, and carries major budget and schedule risk if unforeseen site conditions or weather delays occur. The committee asked PMA and district staff to provide a clear parent-facing timeline and floor plans at the October meeting, and to continue providing monthly cash-flow updates that highlight reforecasting when monthly spending profiles shift.

Earlier and next steps: PMA said the contractor has mobilized site trailers, erosion controls are installed, temporary parking is open, and interior abatement work has begun in some buildings. The committee will receive a timeline for Kickemuit Middle School and additional CIP schedules when they are available; Mr. Murrell will present an update in October.