Amherst Central School District hears Phase 2 capital project update; board reviews costs, schedule and remaining referendum balance

Turner Construction presented a Phase 2 capital project update to the Amherst Central School District Board of Education, outlining summer completions, work under way, upcoming 2026 scopes and the project’s budgetary status.

Madeline Murphy, project manager for Turner Construction, told the board the preconstruction process took about two years and construction ramped up in May. She said Phase 2 construction bids totaled about $37,000,000; allowances included roughly $400,000 and contingency was set at about 7.5% (about $2.7 million). Murphy described executed change orders and pending contingency items shown at approximately $1,700,000 and said the unallocated balance was “a little over $1,000,000” with remaining allowances around $300,000.

Murphy walked trustees through site-specific work. At Windermere she said crews completed slab-on-grade work for a UPK addition, upgraded PA and clock systems, renovated outdoor courts and expanded the parking lot by about 16 spaces. She described secure entry and main-office updates planned for 2026, finishing the UPK playground and adding access control and badge systems.

At Smallwood, Murphy said renovations in 2025 included a PA and clock upgrade, new wing bathrooms, IT room upgrades and a secure entry underway; cafeteria air-conditioning was pushed into 2026 because of mechanical lead times. Middle-school work focused on pre-work for a heating-system conversion, abatement and crawl-space access that will pave the way for a steam-to-hot-water conversion next year. At the high school Turner advanced masonry, plaster and roofing repairs and pulled several items forward from Phase 3 to address water-infiltration problems.

Murphy highlighted the turf complex as a large, multi-part effort: establishing subgrade and subsurface drains, installing utilities for lighting, security, scoreboards and concessions, building concrete foundations and setting poles for athletic lighting, and adding fiber connectivity. She cautioned that weather would affect how far the work progresses this season and said much of the turf-site work is expected to carry through November.

On the budget, Murphy said the $37 million in construction bid packages aligns with the most recent estimate and represents multiple publicly bid contracts. She attributed part of the contingency and higher costs to field conditions uncovered at the turf site — including extensive drainage work described as roughly 10,000 linear feet of drainage — and to enhancements that arose during construction (revised netting/fencing, lighting, cameras, fiber, and added storage or cooling provisions).

Murphy reported a Phase 2 cost figure presented in the slides as $48.08 million, and she combined Phase 1 and Phase 2 in discussion to show a total near $61 million, leaving approximately $7.5 million from the current referendum available for Phase 3. Trustees and project staff acknowledged Phase 3 scope and cost estimates will depend on a point‑5% estimate review and further capital committee discussion.

Board members questioned contract approach (Madison confirmed contracts are lump-sum public bids, not guaranteed-maximum-price agreements), bid competition for packages, and how contingency and allowances broke down between unavoidable field conditions and enhancement items.

The presentation concluded with trustees thanking the Turner and Young and Wright teams for the update. Turner said it will pursue a 0.5% estimate for Phase 3 and bring findings to the capital committee in late September or early October for further planning.

Next steps include follow‑up work by the capital committee to refine the Phase 3 heating-system estimate and decisions about prioritizing remaining referendum funds.