Amherst CSD launches Phase 2 construction; district reports $6.4M escalation and shortfall for Phase 3

Turner Construction and the district’s architects told the Amherst Central School District board that construction for Phase 2 of the district’s capital project has begun and will touch all four school buildings and a new turf complex. Project managers reviewed schedules, scopes and updated costs, and said bids and supply‑chain timing drove some schedule choices.

Turner project manager Madeline Murphy said contractor onboarding began immediately after April awards and that “we did start construction this week,” a start that will carry through the planned November closeout for initial scopes.

Scope highlights: Windermere will receive an 8,500‑square‑foot UPK addition composed of four classrooms and a multipurpose room, a covered and secured outdoor play area, and a dedicated arrival/dismissal entrance; Smallwood and Windermere will receive secure‑entry renovations and IT room upgrades; the middle school will have crawl‑space abatement, an auditorium systems upgrade, secure entry and a nurse suite renovation; the high school work in Phase 2 is limited to masonry repairs and interior plaster remediation. The project also includes a new nearly 12‑acre turf complex with two multipurpose turf fields, baseball and softball turf fields, dugouts, a concessions building, lighting, fencing and site drainage.

Design and construction teams said the turf complex requires significant site work: the field will be raised about 14 inches to create proper drainage, stormwater will be handled by an underground retention system composed of multiple chambers, and extensive trucking and earth‑moving will be required. The district plans two parking lots to serve both the stadium and middle‑school sides, raised crosswalks with flashing beacons for pedestrian safety, and a concessions building of roughly 1,100 square feet with family bathrooms and a utility room. Teams said lighting will use cutoff fixtures and that they expect to install about 30 site cameras.

On cost, the district reported the Phase 2 construction bids at $37,250,000, a construction contingency held at 7.5% (about $2.8 million), and construction incidentals (soft costs, inspections, furniture and equipment, design and legal fees) budgeted at about 22% (roughly $8.8 million). Those line items produced a Phase 2 construction cost of approximately $48,859,031, about $6.4 million (roughly 15%) higher than earlier projections. When combined with Phase 1 committed costs, the district said the total referendum amount stands at $68.7 million. Officials said that leaves about $7.5 million available for Phase 3, less than originally planned: the earlier Phase 3 placeholder of $20 million would not cover today’s likely costs.

District and project officials said rising costs are primarily due to escalation in construction materials and labor availability and longer state review timelines that affected design and bidding. The capital‑project committee has asked for options to address Phase 3 shortfalls; preliminary discussion has prioritized HVAC work and a steam‑to‑hot‑water conversion for the high school as top candidates for next funding rounds.

Schedule notes included a targeted fall 2026 primary use for portions of the turf complex, with a goal of full complex use by spring 2027; crews planned to begin turf work after spring sports conclude and to continue through the following spring and fall based on weather windows.

Board members and community members asked questions during the presentation about drainage performance in heavy snow melt events, maintenance access for underground stormwater systems, light spill to nearby yards, and the turf/soft‑surface balance. Project staff said the storm retention design meets state worst‑case scenarios and includes clean‑out access points for maintenance; lighting will use cutoff fixtures to limit neighborhood spill.