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District to enter judge-led mediation over permit fees; building-committee trims outside scope as contingency tightens
Summary
Superintendent told the board a judge ordered court-appointed mediation in the district's building-permit fee dispute; the district has paid roughly $450,000–$460,000 in commercial permit fees and faces a remaining HVAC/plumbing permit of about $180,000. The building committee is cutting nonessential site items as contingency funds are lower than expected.
The Regional School District 13 board on July 8 was updated on a court-directed mediation in a dispute over building permit fees and on project budget management as the Memorial Phase construction advances.
Superintendent Sydney Leggett told the board the district attended court the morning of July 8 and that "the judge has directed us to court appointed 3rd party mediation," stressing the mediation will be conducted by a judge through Superior Court rather than a privately hired mediator. She said the district has already paid "somewhere around 450, $460,000" in commercial permit fees and expects one remaining HVAC and plumbing permit bill of roughly $180,000.
Leggett said two important items from the court proceeding were missed outcomes the district had hoped for: guaranteed pricing tied to a July 9 deadline and an injunction stopping further permit fees. Neither was granted at the hearing, she said; the judge ordered mediation and a hearing if mediation fails.
Because of project cost pressure, the building committee recommended a set of value-management reductions focused on site and exterior items rather than instructional spaces. Committee members said they would consider trimming or deferring the outdoor canopy, irrigation and roughly half of the pickleball/tennis courts while preserving an outdoor-classroom area. "We're kind of doing value management over the outdoor classroom, so it might not look exactly like what we thought it would be," Leggett said, but the committee emphasized keeping the outdoor classroom as part of the project.
Board members raised concern about contingency levels. Leggett reported an "owner's contingency" of about $284,000 on a roughly $76,000,000 project, compared with an expected contingency in the range of $800,000, which creates a material risk. The committee said some alternates and nonessential site work could be removed now and potentially added later by the district or town.
The board also approved an award for a separate capital contract: state project 2130051 (Memorial Phase 3 roofing). After receiving bids and a building-committee recommendation, the board voted to award the base roofing contract to Gold Seal Roofing LLC (base bid $2,213,900). The facility consultant and building committee had vetted the low bidder.
No final legal resolution was announced; Leggett said mediation is expected in the coming weeks and a hearing will be scheduled if the parties do not resolve the matter in mediation. The board did not authorize additional borrowing at the July 8 meeting but discussed outreach and contingency planning tied to both the legal timeline and budget communications to the towns.
