Uh Chris Kenny. Um we have a quorum. So let me know who if we're who else we're waiting for and we don't have to get started right now, but >> we're ready when you are, please. >> Okay. >> Ham is ready. >> Okay. Thanks, Matt. Um so then I will go
ahead and open the November 18th, 2025 meeting of the elementary school building committee for the Charleswood School at 6 o'clock. Um, good evening everyone. I'll quickly review our agenda and then we will get right to it as we
have a fairly routine agenda tonight hopefully. Um, so after our opportunity for public comment, under new business, we'll have approval of the minutes of our last meeting, as well as approval of invoices, a brief recap of the recent
groundbreaking event, and then we will get a building construction and street improvements update, and then we will look to adjourn um hopefully well before 7 o'clock. So, if there are no questions on the
agenda, um I am also seeing that we do not appear to have anyone here for public comment, but if anyone does um show up and wants to make a public comment later in the meeting, we will entertain the opportunity for us to revisit that.
Next, we'll move on to minutes. Uh we have in your packet were the minutes of the October 21st, 2025 meeting um that we had. Uh does anyone have any um notes or or
sorry comments or questions regarding the minutes? Okay. Hearing none, I would seek a motion to approve. Oh, Mike, sorry. Um, I recommend approval of the minutes of October 21st, 2025 as written, sir.
>> Okay. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay. I have a motion by Mike, second by Jag Groot. We are um conducting this meeting virtually. So, consistent with those rules, we will be voting via roll call. U starting with Bill. >> Yes.
>> Mike, >> yes, sir. >> Jagroot. Yes. >> Chris Masters. >> Yes. >> And I am a yes. So, the minutes are approved unanimously. 520.
Um, next we've got some bills to pay. Uh, our invoice package today includes six invoices. Um, one from Vertex. Invoice number OPM1643 in the amount of $100,197.75.
14 Perkins Eastman 0095421 00000023 in the amount of $130,274.50. Um one for Breakbuilders Corporation A05 in the amount of $4,483,98328.
uh an invoice for Lynch and Suns A01 in the amount of $31,762. Um, and then we have two invoices um that are, I believe, reimbursements for Megan Cox and Danielle Kinberg. Um, $217.72
and $59659 respectively, bringing our total invoice package to $4,747,31.84. Are there any comments or questions related to the invoice package? Okay, hearing none, I would seek a
motion to approve the total invoice package as presented in the meeting materials. >> So moved. >> Motion by Bill. >> Motion by Bill, second by Mike. And we will go roll call again. Um, Bill,
>> yes. >> Mike, >> yes, sir. >> Jagroot, >> yes. >> Chris, >> yes. and Tiffany. >> Yes. >> And I am a yes. So that one is unanimous 6. And the invoices are approved to be
paid. Um Susan, I will sign that tonight and send it over. Okay. Next up on our list is um groundbreaking recap. Um,
so we actually now I'm forgetting that it was November 4th, right, was the the date. So we had the the groundbreaking ceremony on November 4th um on the school site by the marathon side, which
was a a great moment to mark the uh the progress on this project. Um hopefully everyone has also had a chance to go back and um see the progress on the building site. Members of the committee, if you haven't, I really
highly recommend it. Um reach out to Chris Kenny um to schedule a time to go over there and just get a walk around. It really is for the the couple of years that we have been putting into this project, it's nice to see it really starting to come to fruition. Um so uh
the groundbreaking was uh well attended by local officials. So we had representatives from obviously locally the school committee and the select board and town offices. Um we also had the MSBA, Representative D. Rosa and
Senator Spilo all attended. Um as I said it was just a a great uh opportunity to celebrate the progress. So a big thank you to Vert.Ex X and Perkins and Bright and certainly the school department, Tim, uh your whole team for putting
everything together and making sure that it it went off um without a hitch. Uh I guess bar the speaker getting blown over by the the strong winds. Um but uh I thought it was a great event. Any other
thoughts regarding the groundbreaking? Um, so the next probably um marker moment will be the I believe that that we do the topping off ceremony. Um, do we have a I mean I know we haven't even gotten steel yet. Do we
have a sense of like roughly when that would be? >> Probably in January maybe. Yeah, it won't be late December. They start steel. The first delivery is next Monday. >> Okay.
>> They'll start um erecting in a and work their way around. I believe the piece for the topping off is going to be in the gymnasium, which is the last sequence as they kind of go around counterclockwise.
um 6 to 8 weeks for erection and then they detail for another uh three or four weeks after that. So the erection will fall in that kind of 6 to 8 week period.
>> Okay. So people as as you're as you're planning you you can think about kind of early 2026 for that next marker. Okay. Well, with that, um Chris, I'll turn it over to you for building construction updates.
>> Right. Go ahead and everyone see the um project dashboard. >> Yeah. Though you're in presenter mode, so we're kind of seeing the >> both. >> Yeah, we're seeing both. >> Let me try this again.
Okay. Oops. better. >> Yeah. Oh, no. It's the same. >> Still still the same. All right. We got it to work last time.
I can try it on my end if you want, Chris. >> Sure, that would be great. Is it? Bear with me as I open it up, folks. We have so much to share that it's a large file and it'll take a second to
open up. there. Did that work? >> Yeah, that's it. So just working through the first page each month is our project death dashboard which just gives us a real
quick snapshot of uh the project health. At the moment there are no safety issues with the job site which is good to report the schedule. We're on schedule. We'll have a discussion at the end of
the slides about um the braid's current schedule and our efforts to support that. Budget, we're on budget um with the project at the moment. Testing and inspections is going on and
there are no issues. Um the minor non-conformance items are being closed by the subcontractors um each week. FFN and technologies we'll get into probably
uh first or second quarter of 2026, but no issues to date. And then just the item here following up on what we talked about at our last meetings regarding the foundation. Uh work is proceeding with the
foundation. In fact, we're they're looking to wrap up the final concrete placement for the foundation walls this Friday. So, we're still waiting for building inspectors uh issuance of a permit, but
the work is proceeding. So, next slide. Any questions on the dashboard before we move on? >> As we've said before, the column on the left in green just, you know, shows that
everything's proceeding. If it was yellow, we'd be discussing it weekly and monthly here and red are issues that need immediate attention. So, in the green, >> yep, >> just if I may, um that last one about issues, foundation work, etc. The
building inspector has been coming out regular to inspect the work. Um just so everybody knows that. I just wanted to clarify, >> right? and and reviewing and signing off on the reinforcing and concrete
placements. Next slide. This shows the extent of that foundation work that I mentioned. The teal light blue color shows the foundation walls that have been completed. On the left is
area A, which is the cafeteria entrance and the first wing. To the right is area B that has also been completed. Next slide. And this shows area C to the left and
all the foundation walls have been completed there as well as the peers. And then to the right is area D, which is the gymnasium, showing what's been completed and what is next. So, they're
scheduling to rep to place the concrete foundation wall and peers uh on Friday of this week. Just a few images of that work that's progressed since our last meeting um in
October. the foundation wall. This shows a view of those foundation walls in area A to the the image to the left um shows that and then just details of the foundation walls plus peers for the
columns going in um under construction over the past month. Next slide. Um, in addition to the foundation work, they've been preparing the roadway for the binder ashvault course that's being
placed on Thursday. That involved bringing in material, compacting it, and getting prepared for that paving operation as well as extending the utilities up from
um Hayden Row Street back into the site. So that's also going on also been going on this month. Next slide please. Just another view of on the left is the
back filling of those foundation walls in area A and the placement of foundation walls in area B. and then the compaction that goes on with that back filling within the building area. You see the peers as well
as the perimeter foundation walls and interior walls. The image to the right shows the electrical conduit being installed again up from Hayden Row back to the site and the building. And then
the furthest image to the right is those same conduits being encased in concrete to make up the duct bank. Waterproofing um was installed at the mockup in preparation for the window and curtain
wall that's being um delivered next week. So the mockup's proceeding um in advance of the work on the building image to the right is the footing for the
foundations at area D, the gymnasium area. So this will be the final area they place. Any questions on any of the images? These bullet points here really just identify the progress over the past
month and then what we're looking to accomplish next month. So mobilization and the start of drilling actually did not occur. That's been pushed out to coordinate with the paving that's going on at the end of this week. We did have a mechanical
electrical and plumbing commissioning kickoff meeting with the consultant steel erection pre-construction meeting met with the erector to talk about the sequences and how that work would proceed. The groundbreaking that John talked about occurred on the fourth
foundation formwork reinforcing and concrete placements for areas C and D progressed. underground sewer and water utilities that I showed in the images, roadway subbase preparation, erosion control, sub sedimentation
basins and swale stabilizations occurred and then the mockup waterproof mockup with waterproofing uh being installed next month. We're looking at completing the Ashvalt binder course that will take
us from Hayden Row back to the parking area just outside of the U entrance to the building. We'll be mobilizing and starting drilling of the geothermal wells. We'll complete the installation now that
that back filling at area A was complete for the modular retaining wall that's in the souththeast corner of the site. Foundation, concrete, waterproofing and back filling will be completed.
Structural steel erection, columns and beams will start and decking. and they'll resume the excess soil exporting. Those large mountains that are still on the site will continue to be um exported offsite.
And as I mentioned with the mockup, windows, curtain walls, masonry will be installed at the mockup. Any questions on that? terms of change order updates for the project, there were no change orders
issued or approved this month. We did have four pending ch or proposed change orders approved, which is the first step in the change order process. Um
a credit for a double buy on the fire protection system. It was carried by two um subcontractors. So there's a credit from one back. We added some valves for the water
distribution per the um DPW. There was some structural steel detailing changes and um tree clearing and trimming that occurred outside of
the limit of work but adjacent to the site. We had to do this work because it posed a hazard to the trailer area as trees were hanging over and dropping limbs uh back onto our site. The total for those four change orders is
20,12367. There'll be a change order followup, John, that we'll have you sign as we did with change order one for incorporation into the brakes contract. >> And just a one side note for the
committee just so that nobody gets too excited, the current pending and estimated change orders line is measured against the actual budgeted construction contingency. It is not budgeted against the available funds. So that 7% is um 7%
of the contingency. It is not 7% of the somewhere in the neighborhood of 22 million that remains available within the budget. >> Right? And this is a the estimated is when an issue comes up we apply a order
magnitude estimate to it and then it works its way through the system. the um pending are ones that have been submitted by the contractor that are in the process of working through with Perkins, US, and the town.
>> And Chris, I believe the majority of that six figure number relate to Boulder identification. >> That's correct. About 246,000 of that 385 is related to one item, which is the unit price overage for
Boulder. Um removal. Moving on to the budget update. Um expenditures this month in the um VIP that we just that was just approved. 130,275
brings their Perkins total expenditures to 8,533,238. So about 69.8% of their total contract value has been extended expended for us. The OPM expenditures this month
at 101,197 brings our total to 1.4 million 31,040, about 31% of our total contract value has been expanded to date.
for the contractor. the uh 102,270,000 contract value for which um see um
billings to date 7,884,226 dollars about 7.7% of their total. I believe there's one more this month. We didn't we added Lynch. So if you scroll forward,
so two two contractors now billing and their contract value is 1.4 4 million for which they have built uh $30,174 again uh about two 2.1% of their total
contract value. Any questions on that status? Following up on John's comments about the groundbreaking, we thought it would be good to have this slide just let this group know that participants included uh
state representative, the Senate President as well as you know MSBA leadership, school committee members, this members from this group uh the town and then public school
personnel. So, it was a it was a nice event. A little chilly, but uh still nice to be out there. Local press covered it. Ham recorded the event. And I think the highlight was really Evan's comments about the project reflecting
the best of the town and people working together um for this exciting project come together. So, that was nice to hear about. And before we go to the next item, I do want to just uh alert the committee to
another item that I was unfortunately not able to get pictures of um in advance of this meeting, but this past Sunday um a member of the Perkins team and a member of our team at the um
Hopkins project met with a troop of Girl Scouts on Sunday in Hopington at the request of their troop leader for uh um a construction related badge that they were doing. They worked on a couple of
um small construction related uh projects that they had gotten and they shared some information that they had on both the Charleswood project and the Hopkins project. Um, so it was good to have some of our female colleagues on both projects from both us and Perkins
able to attend that um and share what their experience has been. I've heard that um everyone had a great time. Um we had some construction vests and construction hard hats that we passed along um
or play construction vests and play construction hard hats that we passed along just so that nobody uses them for actual safety. And um I heard through the grapevine that um both of our participants from Perkins and from Vertex enjoyed the Girl Scout cookies
that were provided to them. So I just wanted to share that with the committee as um some of the effort that we've done to just have some of the future generation share in the um the work that we've done for the community.
Um we had one more item related to schedule that we wanted to cover with you today and it is a vertex ccentric item. Um as part of the proposal that we gave you which as you will will recall is about an a year and a half old at
this point from when the project was funded. We had proposed a construction schedule that was based on a 5-day work week. So, we had 40 hours a week for our CSM to be on site and supported by our other staff. Um, as we've discussed in
the past, it is a lump sum contract. And as Chris noted earlier, construction is the biggest part of our fee as we're only 31% into what where we are after about five of our payments during the construction phase. Um, Braate has bid
on and proposed an aggressive schedule thus far. They are proposing to finish early and while we did respond to their schedule, we noted that we do still feel that their schedule is quite aggressive, but they have chosen to continue with their
6- day work week um with steel that will be beginning next week. And so they'll be erecting steel 6 days a week, including Saturdays. Our contract with the o uh with the MSBA does require that the OPM's on-site during the work and so
we have bumped up against this. Um we had planned to build based on 5 days a week of work but instead we are we have been working a 6 day week and I appreciate the efforts of my team um to be able to arrange to cover those days
as we we move through this. That does mean that we're slightly overcommitting our fee versus what was originally proposed. Not in the sense that we don't have enough fee to cover the construction, but that the fee needs to
match the um way in which the contractor is pursuing the work. So rather than us build up um an overage uh with where we are now, what we would like to propose to the committee, if they'll support it, would be to rework the payment schedule
so that it more closely aligns. Um the Saturdays account to about a $6,000 change. That $6,000 is probably slightly under um what the cost is to cover those those Saturdays at the rates that we submitted on. And so um we would propose
to leave the payments thus far unchanged and to adjust payments moving forward beginning with month ending November um and taking that through August. That would revise our payment from theundred $100,198
to $106,198. And then we would reduce that level payment for the last few months of September 2027 to December 2027. Um, so that that would be a lumpsum payment of $67,98.
In both cases, the total for construction would remain the same at the $3,16,130. Um, and all other fee schedules would remain the same. This allows us to um uh look at additional options for how we cover those Saturdays so that we can
reduce how much we're taxing our core team and it will also um make it more closely aligned with the work that we're expending as we move through the project and with what braid is proposing. We do want to note that if Bray does fail to
deliver on time, just as if they failed to deliver on time on the original schedule, um we would want to the option to request we revisit the fees as that work needs to be um ongoing, but we fully recognize that it is way too early
to make that assumption now. And so that's just um cautioning the committee that that is in the event that the schedule is does not play out as we've proposed. We just want to make sure that we were transparent with the committee about where that falls. Um we think this
is reasonable. We had a chance to discuss it with Susan and John um in advance and it's not necessarily a net change. It's just addressing a need that we have in the short term to be able to cover that six-day work week on a regular basis.
So with that, I'd open up any questions that the committee has about that uh proposal >> questions. So So Chris, I I I'm assuming then that we're going to work every Saturday between now and August. Is that correct?
That is more or less this the assumption that Bright has laid out to us. Um we've had two Saturdays off over the course of >> now and should and should something happen that 10% of those savings haven't worked you you'll reflect that in this
number I suspect. Correct. >> We were not thinking that's part of the reason that I went a little lower with the the 6,000. At the end of the day we have a lump sum contract with the town. So either way, the the end product is the same number. >> Yeah.
>> Um this is just trying to adjust it to more closely match what we're what we're expending now. >> Um because we we certainly wouldn't want to get in the position of not bringing this up with the committee, get to the end of the job, have breaks be late, and
we've overcommitted oursel and we're continuing to work. >> Um that can be challenging >> um on our end. So, we're trying to find a a fair way to make this reflect what's being asked of us because our assumption was that we would have a 5-day work and
was that this would be closer to an October turnover and break part of their savings that they're offering the town in their low bid is by finishing early and um working as hard as they can to reach that earlier date.
>> Thank you. Hey Chris, I guess my question a followup is you're showing the reduced payment uh towards the end of the scheduled um to end in December 2027, but aren't they what is their
anticipated if everything goes goes well? When did they hope to be done by? Isn't it before that date? So, your contract with Bright says that Bright um will be complete on didn't look this. It's October 21st. Is
that what it is, Chris? >> Yes. >> Um so, October 21st of 2027. We have always proposed this as a fall opening of the school. I want to emphatically caution the committee that it is very
early in the process, but I will tell you that the schedule that Brit has provided to us has a substantial completion date of July 1st of 2027. We will continue to watch that and we
will continue to observe how their schedule develops over the course of the months that come. We find that typically vendor contracts to enter into opening the school um will begin that process
about a year out to make sure that we have ample time for things like furniture selection um ff technology all that kind of stuff. So there's not really a need to commit to when your opening date is until you get closer to
about a year out from from your completion. So by July of 2026, we'll have a bet much better idea about where their schedule's looking. And we did share in review of their schedule that
while we can't prohibit them from pursuing an aggressive goal and we encourage them to successfully deliver the project early, we are concerned that their schedule might be overly aggressive and we have seen them use their float more readily. And so I don't
want to um overly excite anyone about the prospect that we could have a fall opening, but with the schedule they submitted, there is a possibility that that can occur. >> Okay. I mean, that's reasonable and makes sense. Thank you.
>> And just to pick up on what Chris said, we do track every month their schedule update. um we have about a hundred items activities that we compare to see how they're doing plan versus actual to be
able to evaluate this on a month-to-month basis. So, as Chris said, they've they've slipped in some of their activities, but have eaten into their um generous float.
So it it hasn't changed the end date but has reduced their float. >> Okay. Any other questions on that? >> So John, I was not sure whether we need a vote to revise the payment schedule or not. I don't think we ever I don't think we
ever uh voted to approve the original cash flow. >> I think it was part of the original amendment. So, um I'll leave it to your discretion. This is the group that approves our invoices. So, if November's invoice
shows up at 106,000, I'm assuming you'd all vote yes. Um, but I'd leave it to the committee's discretion whether they'd want to motion to approve the revised payment schedule or just um consensus, which we seem to have from lack of objections.
>> I I personally do not feel like we need to execute a vote for this, but if someone feels differently, I would be happy to entertain it. >> And I think you have your consensus, Chris. Thank you.
>> Okay. Um and then the last item on the agenda is street improvements update. >> Yes. Just no slide for this. They're just just to give this group a heads up. They have been doing work out there. They're preparing
um really everything layoutwise this fall and then they'll go dormant for the winter with the hope of picking up again in the spring after school has let out. Um they are scheduled to do some tree
removal that's part of the um pole relocation next week and into the following week. um that will coordinate with the schools um right at the entrance to Marathon on
that um grass area. Um but other than that, they're they're just getting everything set up, all their sub submitts in and approved and RFI questions answered, so they're ready to hit the ground running in um
in June. And just one related just one related note to that. Um at the last meeting we did let the committee know that great was asked to appear before the conservation commission. They did um appear they promptly addressed what was
um asked of them and um it was to uh the conservation agents satisfaction. So we did want to let the committee just as a follow-up note that um the that has been addressed. There is some ongoing concern that some of the neighbors may have
noticed about tracking of um sediment onto the Hayden Row. If you drive through that area, you may have noticed it. We are working with Bright to resolve that issue and um we've been in discussions with the DPW as part of that to make sure that it's promptly done. We
did have Ty Bond the third party reviewer out to take a look at that as well. And the hope is that the asphalt that they're doing will help address that ongoing concern. just so that we can make sure that um we continue to encourage break to be good neighbors to
all of the abutters on Hidden Row. Right. Any other questions on that? Well, that is the end of our formal agenda. So, if no one has any other business to raise, I would seek a motion to adjourn the meeting.
>> Motion to adjourn. >> Is there a second? >> Second, sir. >> We got a motion by Chris, second by Mike. Roll call vote. Bill, >> yes. >> Mike, >> yes, sir. >> Jagrit? >> Yes. >> Chris? >> Yes.
Tiffany >> yes >> and I am a yes. So that is unanimous 6. We are adjourned at 6:41 p.m. Uh thank you as always to HCAM for recording and broadcasting the meeting and thank you
all for attending and we will see you next month. Have a good night. >> Have a good night guys. Bye-bye. >> Thank you.