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District construction update: White Plains high‑school innovation wing nearing key milestones
Summary
Contractors reported the high‑school innovation wing is largely weather‑tight, critical long‑lead equipment arrived early, and district leaders said savings from prior projects funded additional AC and renovations across schools.
Contractors and district staff told the White Plains City School District Board on July 1 that construction on the high‑school innovation wing and related renovation projects is progressing on schedule and within budget.
Representatives from H2M and Triton Construction presented photos and progress updates to trustees, saying the building has reached near weather‑tight status and that several long‑lead items arrived sooner than expected. "Once those windows... you're essentially 98% watertight," said Chris Pearson of Triton, describing a milestone that reduces weather‑related schedule risk and helps preserve interior finishes.
Project leads said seven HVAC upgrade and renovation projects were completed in the 2025–26 school year, representing $36,700,000 in construction contracts and $48,600,000 in total hard costs, with a change‑order rate under 1 percent. Joe Cicerano, the project presenter, said those savings allowed the district to expand air‑conditioning and other work in additional buildings without exceeding the original budget.
The presentation included drone photography and design boards for the new space; presenters said the high school will feature collaboration and presentation areas, a full‑service café, a pharmacy lab and a life‑skills apartment to support career and technical education programs. Renovations at Rochambeau are being completed in phased waves (about three classrooms at a time) with an estimated 27 to 30 classrooms impacted by the project.
District and project staff said design work for additional projects is about 60 percent complete and targeted for submission to the State Education Department in mid‑July, with some construction expected in summer 2027. Board members and finance committee representatives praised the interdepartmental coordination that kept projects on budget.
The board did not identify any new funding sources in the meeting but discussed realized savings from grant funding that were reallocated to complete remaining AC work and other projects. The district said it will follow the usual SED submission process for state‑reviewed projects and report further schedule and budget details as the projects move into final design and bidding.
The board acknowledged the contractors and district staff for the work and thanked volunteers and staff who participated in tours of the innovation wing.
