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Peaslee Building Committee recommends amended OPM contract pending $30,000 school appropriation
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to recommend an amended Owner’s Project Manager (PMA) contract and to recommend the negotiated designer contract, both conditioned on the school committee approving a $30,000 operating-budget allocation to cover a $930,000 project estimate.
The Peaslee Building Committee on Dec. 2 recommended approving an amended contract with the Owner’s Project Manager (PMA) and said it will sign the agreement once the Northborough School Committee appropriates $30,000 to cover a funding gap.
Erica Hall, committee chair, said negotiations over the Thanksgiving week produced revised contract terms but left the total project funding about $30,000 above the $900,000 town appropriation approved at town meeting. "We have sufficient funding for the OPM and the designer contract subject to an allocation of $30,000," Hall said.
Jason Little, Northborough finance director, told the committee the combined designer and OPM packages came back higher than the town appropriation and that the superintendent would propose using $30,000 from the school operating budget to make up the difference. "If everybody's in favor of the contract amendment and that goes through tomorrow, we'll be able to sign the contract and move forward with the architect," Little said.
Corina (PMA) said PMA and subconsultants re-scoped work to reduce fees and that the firm had submitted the amendment for execution. Corina said the firm reduced some staff hours for the feasibility phase but will deliver required PDP and schematic-phase products. "We foresee that this is gonna be the budget and there's not gonna be an additional amendment coming for feasibility or schematic," Corina said.
Committee members reviewed the budget breakdown the chair provided: the town meeting appropriation of $900,000 was based on estimated line items (OPM roughly $190,000; designer roughly $590,000; environmental/testing $75,000; other $45,000). Committee discussion and the negotiated shifts of certain environmental/other funds to the PMA line produced a revised total of approximately $930,000 with the proposed $30,000 school-committee contribution; the amended PMA fee was presented as $260,150.
A motion to recommend approval of the amended PMA contract, conditioned on school-committee approval of the $30,000 appropriation, was moved and seconded and passed by roll call with unanimous support (Lauren Bailey, Michael Tietjen, Sean Durkin, Robert Tomassetti, Tristan Beasant and Erica Hall).
The committee asked that the contract be signed only after the school committee vote. The chair said staff and negotiators who worked during the holiday were appreciated and that PMA will continue routine MSBA submissions and monthly reporting for the project.
Next steps: the School Committee is scheduled to vote on the $30,000 allocation (not specified in this transcript). If approved, the town will sign the amended PMA contract and the related designer contract as presented.
