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Board seeks explanation after $520,000 change orders push athletic-fields project over budget
Summary
Finance staff told the board final costs for the four athletic-field projects totaled about $11.25 million, above the original GMP/budget; trustees complained some change-order details appeared in news reports before they were informed and asked for a contingency/change-order log to determine whether overruns were architect omissions or owner-requested additions.
Finance director Mr. Pett told the board the district's updated construction numbers for four athletic-field projects totaled roughly $11.25 million, broken into approximately $4.1 million at Gaffne High and $6.1 million at Blackburg High. He said the original total project budget was about $10.7 million and that change orders and contingency items resulted in a roughly $520,000 increase on the construction side.
Board members expressed frustration that the change orders and final costs were reported publicly before the board had been briefed. "I read it in the newspaper before we even get told," a trustee said during the exchange, and several members pressed staff for a clear contingency log showing who authorized change orders and whether overruns were due to architect omissions or owner-requested scope additions.
Mr. Pett said architect omissions and owner-requested items are the common mechanisms for going over a GMP and offered to produce the contingency and change-order log for both Gaffne and Blackburg fields. Procurement/operations staff explained some change orders were executed informally or by email prior to the current administration taking office; staff pledged to clarify the approval chain and improve procedures for notifying the board.
Board members also asked whether updated scoreboards and sprinkler and grading work were included in the change orders; staff said these items were likely part of architect omissions and agreed to break down each item by category (architect omission versus owner request) when they provide the contingency log.
Why it matters: The district's capital spending and transparency around project approvals are governance and budget issues for board oversight. Trustees asked for documentation to determine whether internal process or vendor/architect errors primarily drove increased costs.
Next steps: Finance/operations staff will send trustees the contingency/change-order log and attempt to identify the approver(s) for each line item. The board did not rescind or amend any approved project action at this meeting.
