Board approves construction change order after lead-paint and electrical problems

The Middletown Unified School District Board of Education on a unanimous vote approved a construction change order aimed at addressing lead-paint abatement and major electrical repairs on district gym projects.

Ray Green of Van Pelt Construction told the board the package of documents for Change Order 2 runs 128 pages and that the district is currently tracking about 11.4% in change-order costs across the program. He said the specific change order before the board represents roughly 3.2% of the contract and includes a substantial scope for lead abatement — "we had to abate 212 locations," he said — plus electrical work required after crews found conduit and feeder attachment problems during demolition and rework. Green said the district has contingency funds and that shifts between projects (for example allocating portable work to the Tallmadge Gym budget) will cover the work without reducing other active projects.

Board members asked for detail on how the change orders would affect remaining projects and Green explained the usual DSA (Department of State Architect) review and project-closeout timeline. The motion to approve the change order was made, seconded and passed by voice vote, 5-0.

The contractor said pricing for specific proposed change orders ranged from about $99,000 to $146,000 and that the largest single additional scope (the sixth-grade portables) accounted for $392,000 of the program adjustment. Board materials list individual proposed change orders (PCOs) and cover pages to explain justification and cost breakdowns for each item.