School construction nears completion; committee approves invoices, change orders and conduit groundwork to avoid future digging

The Town of Cheshire project committee received progress reports and voted on several financial and construction items as school construction nears substantial completion.

Project staff showed extensive photos of Barnum and Norton schools, described progress on windows, brick, canopies, playgrounds and interior finishes, and said permanent power and transformer work with Eversource is scheduled in the coming weeks. Staff gave a conservative target of early May for permanent power and a June 1 ‘‘drop-dead’’ date for remaining electrical work if delays occur.

In financial business, the committee approved multiple invoices by unanimous vote, including a construction-manager invoice for $2,136,255.78 and other line-item payments to architects and commissioning firms. Committee members discussed contingency balances and uncommitted funds for FF&E and technology; staff said some line items can be moved to owner contingency and that they will track remaining credits and allowances closely.

The committee also approved several potential change orders and not-to-exceed (NTE) authorizations aimed at preventing later rework if the school district's separate solar project proceeds. After discussion the committee authorized trenching and conduit installation from the building to an electrical vault with a time-and-materials NTE authorization of approximately $50,000 to include extra conduits for future use, executed on a TNM (time-and-material) basis and explicitly without poured concrete where not required. Separately, the committee approved a shorter-path option (a smaller ‘coffin-box’ vault route) with a mid-five-figure authorization to avoid ripping up newly finished work if the district moves forward with a ground array.

A fire-marshall review identified concealed combustible spaces under some structural wood decking that require sprinkler coverage. Staff presented a rough order-of-magnitude (R.O.M.) estimate that included a $25,000 contractor figure and additional allowances; committee members agreed not to approve that R.O.M. immediately and instead voted to gather firmer contractor bids and reconvene quickly to avoid schedule risk.

Committee members said they were encouraged by the overall project status. As one committee member put it during the budget review, "We're in a very healthy position," reflecting available contingency balances across the two projects even after accounting for forthcoming FF&E and technology needs.

What happens next: permanent-power work with Eversource is expected to proceed in the coming weeks; staff will return with firmer bids for the sprinkler work and will record conduit and trenching work under TNM authorizations. The committee set tentative special meeting dates and will reconvene if urgent approvals are required.