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Board hears design, budget and value‑engineering update for new Flint high school; abatement and demolition scheduled for summer
Summary
Design and construction teams presented updated renderings and a budget‑alignment plan for the new high school, citing a 33‑classroom layout with capacity for about 1,000 scholars and a series of value‑engineering moves (including $1.6M in grading/retaining‑wall savings); abatement and demolition were scheduled to begin in June–July with air‑monitoring measures.
Superintendent Jones introduced a design and budget update for the district's new high school project and thanked the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for a recent commitment to the effort. Valentino Mancini of Stantec walked trustees through updated floor plans, explaining classroom tagging and capacities.
"The first three sheets you have in front of you is a total of 33 classrooms and 1 mindfulness room, which gives us enough occupancy for 1,000 scholars," Superintendent Jones said when summarizing the materials presented by the design team.
Clark Construction described a set of value‑engineering options being pursued to bring the design into alignment with the board‑approved budget. The construction team said changes included regrading to remove an extended concrete retaining wall (saving about $1.6 million), reducing certain fit‑outs and right‑sizing the auditorium to roughly 400 seats (down from 495) to match December direction, and substituting stone veneer for higher‑performance cladding in some areas.
Presenters addressed durability and reuse: teams said salvaged limestone and some original gym flooring and marble will be incorporated into the new facility where feasible.
Contractors also outlined environmental and safety steps tied to demolition and abatement. Clark Construction said teams will set up containment areas, maintain negative pressure, perform daily air monitoring and use wet methods for demolition to minimize dust. Contractors said demolition of a fire‑damaged building would begin in June and main‑site demolition would begin in mid‑July, and that reports and air‑monitoring results would be collected and shared with the project manager.
Next steps: PMR will conduct a structured RFP for a commissioning agent and return to the board with recommendations; the design team will continue work on construction documents and vendor onboarding for abatement and demolition.
Why it matters: The design choices and value engineering directly affect project cost, program capacity and community uses (auditorium, athletics, heritage plaza). The district highlighted design choices intended to preserve historical materials while meeting program and budget targets.
