Architect outlines timeline, scope and contingencies for district’s 2025 referendum work
Summary
FEHD Architects’ Dan Scattoni told the Princeton Board on May 27 that additions at middle and elementary schools would be built first, with major additions targeted for completion in late 2027 and renovations continuing through 2028, and that the district is carrying roughly 10–12% contingency above the state minimum.
FEHD Architects’ Dan Scattoni briefed the Princeton Board of Education on May 27 on the current status of the district’s 2025 referendum projects, describing additions and renovations at Princeton Middle School, Community Park Elementary, Little Brook and several projects at Princeton High School and outlining a phased timeline and contingency approach.
Scattoni said the referendum scope includes two‑story classroom additions, expanded cafeterias/multipurpose rooms, music and science lab enlargements, circulation improvements, outdoor courtyards and site work at multiple schools. He showed renderings of a new front entrance canopy and two‑story classroom additions at the middle school, a gym/media/multipurpose expansion and courtyard at Community Park, and a six‑room classroom addition and parking improvements at Little Brook. High‑school work includes phased HVAC improvements and an eventual conversion of current IT space into classrooms after district swing spaces have been completed.
Timeline and sequencing: Scattoni described a plan in which additions would be built first (target start: early spring next year) with the goal of completing major additions by December 2027, followed by two phases of renovations through August 2028; he identified the high‑school IT conversion as the final project in the referendum sequence. The district has ordered bleachers to be installed this summer and plans summer‑phased HVAC work at the high school.
Cost and contingency planning: Scattoni said the referendum budget was based on pre‑escalated pricing and that the district is carrying contingency above the 5% state minimum; he reported the district’s working contingency in the range of about 10–12 percent. He said New Jersey public‑bid procurement rules favor domestic products, which the team expects will limit some tariff exposure, and that the design team is preparing alternate bid packages and value‑engineering options if bids come in higher than estimates.
Board members pressed on price escalation and schedule. Board member Adam Bierman asked whether the district had identified which elements were essential versus those that could be deferred if prices rose; Scattoni said those prioritization discussions are underway and will be reflected in how alternates are structured in bid documents. Bierman also asked whether the district could buy or stockpile materials in advance; Scattoni said some items such as furniture might be procured early but that most major construction materials are procured under contractor scope within bid contracts.
Regulatory and site work: Scattoni said the team is coordinating regulatory submissions and working with Sustainable Princeton on landscaping and path/bike‑path coordination; playground modifications and wetlands coordination will be addressed later in the design and permitting sequence and with relevant commissions.
No board vote was taken on the presentation itself. Scattoni told the board the design team and district administration will post the presentation on the district website and will accept questions through a designated email address.
