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Board approves $1.835 million change order for Kane and J.W. Williams middle schools
Summary
Trustees approved a recommended $1,835,000 change order to the guaranteed maximum price for renovation and addition work at Kane and J.W. Williams middle schools; administration cited unforeseen site and existing‑conditions issues including a required firewall, cast‑iron water‑pipe failures and traffic improvements.
The Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees approved a $1,835,000 change order to the guaranteed maximum price for renovation and addition work at Kane Middle School and J.W. Williams Middle School, the administration told the board.
Why it matters: The change order increases the contract amount for a major bond-funded construction program. The administration said most construction risks had been anticipated but that several unforeseen conditions and jurisdictional code interpretations required added scope and cost.
Reason for change order Administration representatives described several factors that arose after the board approved the original GMP, including: - A city code reviewer’s interpretation requiring an added firewall at J.W. Williams, which required structural and foundation revisions within the existing building footprint. - The need to add an additional drive lane at Williams to alleviate parent-loop traffic congestion on an already constrained site (increase from three lanes to a proposed four-lane configuration for inbound/outbound traffic). - Unidentified locations of electrical lines and replacement of deteriorated cast-iron domestic water piping encountered during renovation work at Kane Middle School; the district said those replacements were outside the contractor’s original scope because the failures were not caused by contractor activity. - Overtime and off-hours work to avoid disrupting occupied campuses, and drainage and roofing revisions tied to existing conditions.
Administration recommended the change order, noting that the architects are being asked to participate where the cost may be attributable to design omissions. Presenters said some portions of the $1.835 million are based on contractor estimates and the administration will continue to negotiate final prices; they estimated roughly $500,000 of the amount was an estimate pending final reconciliation.
Funding and context The administration said the cost will be paid from the Rockwall ISD 2021 bond authorization. Presenters also shared anticipated deduct change orders and other expected adjustments on related projects; the district estimated a combined total of roughly $5.9 million in additional change-order activity across several projects when considering both required additions and anticipated deducts or savings elsewhere.
Board action A trustee moved and a second was recorded; the board then took a voice vote. The presiding officer announced the vote and the motion passed. The meeting record shows the board approving the administration’s recommendation.
Next steps District staff said they would continue negotiating with contractors and architects to reduce the final net cost and proceed with the work to minimize schedule impacts to occupied campuses.
