RSD 13 building committee selects Horton and Frier as third‑party reviewers for Phase 3

The Regional School District 13 Building Committee voted Nov. 19 to retain Horton for a structural peer review and Frier Architecture for the project’s third‑party code compliance review to keep the Phase 3 schedule on track.

Carson, speaking for the design team, said the district would send drawings to reviewers on Dec. 5 to meet the construction‑document timetable. "As soon as December 5th, we will plan on sending them drawings to start their review process," Carson said. Committee members said prior experience with school projects and the local building official’s preference weighed heavily in the choices.

John (committee member) moved to select Horton as the structural peer‑review vendor; the motion was seconded and approved. Committee discussion emphasized Horton’s relevant recent work and the building official’s endorsement as reasons to accept a higher price for perceived reliability.

For code compliance, the committee reviewed competing proposals from Frier, Versig and Grrew. Multiple members said Frier had the strongest school‑project portfolio and the staffing to meet the tight schedule. A motion to select Frier Architecture for the code compliance scope passed after discussion of firm capacity and compatibility with local officials.

Both selections were described as steps to accelerate reviews that support a December milestone for construction documents and state review processes. The committee did not disclose contract dollar totals during the public discussion.

Next steps: the district will notify the selected firms and transmit documentation per the announced schedule so third‑party reviews can proceed.