Middletown committee reviews 100% construction documents, bid alternates and schedule for middle-high and elementary schools

The Middletown School Building Committee reviewed a major design milestone and the bidding plan for the combined middle-high and elementary school projects at its April 9 meeting, hearing that 100% construction documents were delivered to the owner and contractors and that a slate of ten bid alternates will be issued for contractors to price.

The architect told the committee the team completed 100% construction documents for the middle-high school and transmitted three volumes of drawings (about 620 sheets) and three volumes of specifications (about 2,100 pages) to the owner, Gilbane (construction manager) and Bentley (elementary school architect). The documents, he said, represent a major milestone that enables staged bid packages and the procurement schedule the committee will review.

The committee members said the information matters because the alternates and package timing will determine what must be decided early and what can be deferred. The committee must balance items included in the base scope, alternates that could be added, funding trade-offs between the middle-high and elementary projects, and permitting and materials-testing requirements before awarding contracts.

Architect Matt LaRue described ten alternates that will be priced with the bid documents but are not automatically included in the base contract. Alternates listed include: 1) full multipurpose play field (beyond base grading and lawn), 2) softball field upgrades, 3) a north driveway egress built through the old drive-in theater entrance (roadbed, drainage and curbing), 4) site furnishings (benches, picnic tables, trash receptacles), 5) outdoor classroom (now modified; a pollinator garden is included in base scope), 6) switching pedestrian pathways from asphalt to concrete (excluding interior courtyards, which are concrete in the base scope), 7) upgrading the emergency generator from 550 kW to 800 kW, 8) upgrading exterior windows and curtain wall to meet higher wind/hurricane resistance, 9) adding an elevator on the middle-school side, and 10) a visual roof screen to reduce rooftop equipment visibility.

On several alternates the committee asked about timing and permanence. LaRue said site-related alternates (roughly alternates 1–6) can often be decided later because the items are not immediately purchased; building-related alternates such as the elevator and generator must be decided earlier because they are in early procurement packages. "The elevator is in the first package. We're going to have to decide early," a committee member said. LaRue added that the generator and shelter-related upgrades "go together" for full shelter capability: the basic generator provides heat and freeze protection and egress lighting, while the larger generator would be needed to power gymnasium spaces if the building is used as a full emergency shelter.

Justin, the owner's representative, described the planned staged buyout. Gilbane will issue bid packages in groups; the first round (site, cast-in-place concrete, structural steel and elevators) is scheduled to be shared with vendors by March 17 (draft schedule), with bids due around April 2 and initial recommendations to award expected for presentation April 30. He said subsequent meetings will present additional recommendation-to-award (RTA) packets, with a larger set of packages expected for the May 28 meeting.

The committee discussed cost risk and schedule sensitivity. Members asked when steel would be purchased; the owner's rep said the plan was to have a drafted subcontract to the recommended steel vendor by May 7. The construction manager said current market conditions have stabilized compared with the steep escalation seen earlier in the decade, but added that large tariff actions could create new risk.

Permitting and materials testing were also discussed. The project has received written comments from DEM (the permitting authority referenced in the meeting) asking for drawing formatting changes and additional wetlands surveying. The design team will respond and perform additional survey work where recent public works changed condition since the project’s original surveys. The committee heard that the state building commission requires materials testing for a project of this size — testing that typically covers soil compaction, concrete testing, welding inspections, and special inspections for structural elements — and that a request-for-proposals for materials testing will be issued soon.

Committee members flagged funding and procurement coordination: one member reminded the group that money transferred from the elementary project to the high-school portion earlier means there may be pressure to return items to the elementary project, and that community expectations for elementary school improvements should be tracked as bid alternates are considered. The committee also noted ongoing work on a project labor agreement; the town has contracted Bill O'Gara to draft a PLA, and local hiring provisions and language to preserve options for alternates will be discussed with counsel.

On funding for the shelter/generator upgrades, members reported outreach to state and federal representatives. A committee member said a meeting with Senator DePalma and a letter submitted to him discussed a potential direct appropriation in the state budget of approximately $1 million; separate federal earmark requests have also been submitted. Those funding efforts were described as active but not yet finalized.

The committee approved minutes for its Feb. 26, 2025 meeting by voice vote earlier in the session. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn, also approved by voice vote.

The design and construction team will return with detailed alternates pricing, the finalized bid package schedule and recommendation-to-award packets at upcoming meetings; the committee identified April 30 and May 28 as key dates for initial RTAs and a larger set of awards, respectively.