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Board approves change orders and notice to proceed for high school project; superintendent cites earlier bid overruns
Summary
The Wellesley School Board approved two change orders and issued a notice to proceed for the new high school, with a projected substantial completion in August 2026; staff said earlier bids came in about $4.8 million over budget and abatement will affect the start schedule.
The Wellesley School Board of Education approved two construction change orders and voted to issue a notice to proceed for the high school project, clearing the way for contractor mobilization and site work while staff monitors abatement and schedule risks.
A motion to approve Change Orders 1 and 2 was made by Edith Jenkins and seconded by Donna Harrison; the motion passed on a roll-call vote. The board then voted to approve a notice to proceed, with the superintendent and staff noting an intended contractor start and an October 8 target for site mobilization.
Explaining schedule changes, a district official said the initial bids had been "about $4,800,000 over our budget," which prompted value-engineering and rebidding that brought costs down. The official said current projections show a substantial completion in August 2026 but added that unforeseen conditions uncovered during demolition or site work could slow the timeline: "If somebody buried a car or some kind of other material out there to fill in the site underneath the high school, that would be something that would slow us down." (David Robinson)
Board members raised logistics questions: whether leftover items from the building would be auctioned, how abatement timing would affect mobilization, and whether bricks could be salvaged for a fundraiser. The superintendent said contractors would incorporate some bricks into the new building and the district would set aside roughly 500 bricks for resale to alumni and community supporters. A contractor representative who identified himself as Donald said crews could begin site work soon and that abatement was likely to be completed about three weeks after mobilization.
The motions were recorded as approved by roll call. The board also recognized a principal of the year during the meeting before adjourning.
The board directed staff to continue communications about abatement, auction logistics and schedule implications and to return with updates if negotiations or site findings require changes to the timeline.
