Board approves change order as superintendent flags middle-school project overruns

The board approved Change Order No. 10 for the middle-school remodeling project after administration described work that arose from existing conditions and necessary remediation.

Dr. Pearson told trustees the district is carefully tracking change orders and contingency spending: the project originally set aside $174,000 for contingency; current change orders and outside work are using a substantial portion of that and the district’s current contingency figure was cited as $148,049.56. He identified major items that affect contingency, including climate-control work (listed at $63,006.45) and asbestos removal (about $20,000).

The superintendent said some overruns are due to unforeseen conditions typical of remodels, while other costs have been negotiated with contractors and architects. He told the board there are target dates in schedules but the contract does not include liquidated damages for missed dates; the administration said it prefers to focus on doing the work right rather than rushing to a specific completion date.

Board members repeatedly asked for transparency on costs and praised staff for close oversight. An administrator said some contractor errors had been corrected without passing all costs to the district, and the project team is scrutinizing proposed change orders.

The board approved the change order on a roll call vote and asked administration to continue reporting contingency use and to present options if costs increase further.

Ending: Administrators said the new office space and CTE areas are nearing completion and that they will continue to update the board as work and budgets evolve.