At the Nov. 20 School Building Committee meeting, project staff said Phase 3 of the 1922 Building is nearly complete and students are scheduled to begin using the new section on Jan. 5, 2026. Jim Dowd, presenting budget and schedule information, said project teams have started furniture delivery and are finishing classroom commissioning.

“We are currently approaching our completion of Phase 3,” a Suffolk representative said during the presentation, showing photos of classrooms, corridors and the auditorium. Dowd said furniture began arriving earlier this week and that the team expects to open the new section to students on Jan. 5.

The project team provided a timeline for the auditorium: physical installation of seats and finishes will be completed earlier, but specialized audiovisual commissioning will continue through January and February. Dowd said the auditorium will not be available for occupancy until March 1.

On budget, Dowd reported the project’s remaining contingency at $2,000,000 and described an additional $14,750,000 in contingency included within a broader $39,850,000 funding request that will be considered by the City Council. “Once those funds are approved by the city council … the total contingency at this point remaining would be $16,750,000,” Dowd said. He added that two BRR packages are with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for signature and that total MSBA reimbursements to date are $207 million. The project has been invoiced $306 million through October; October’s invoice was $3.5 million.

Suffolk also provided workforce metrics: the total construction minority workforce was reported at just under 27% (project goal 15%), the female workforce at 5.2% (project goal 6.9%), and low-resident workers at 8.71%. Project staff said they follow up monthly with trade partners to improve female participation.

Dowd closed the update by outlining next steps: finishing Phase 3 punch-list items, commencing Phase 4 in January after turnover of Phase 3, and coordinating the move and certificate-of-occupancy timing with district administration. The committee set its next meeting for Jan. 22 at 6 p.m.