Graphic Representation of the new East Gloucester/Veterans’ Elementary School Timeline for the Project Going Forward The timeline going forward is described below and sets the stage for a vote by the people of Gloucester on November 3. The timeline is as follows: ● July 9 -- MSBA Schematic Design officially submitted ● July 28--The Massachusetts School Building Authority will send its response with comments on the project plans that have been submitted; ● August 7--The architect and the Owners’ Project Manager respond to the comments and recommendations from the Massachusetts School Building Authority; ● August 26--The Board of Directors of the Massachusetts School Building Authority will vote on funding for the East Gloucester/Veterans’ project; and, ● November 3--Citizens of the City of Gloucester will vote on project funding and approval. Update Since June, there have been very significant occurrences/events involving the East Gloucester/Veterans’ School Building Project. In particular, on June 23, 2020, both the EGS/Veterans’ School Building Committee and the Gloucester School Committee each voted to submit what is referred to as the Schematic Design to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for further consideration and review. Schematic Design Based upon the previous step of the building project, known as the Feasibility Study, the District and its team, in collaboration with the MSBA, have developed a schematic design for the building of a consolidated school on the Veterans’ Elementary School site. This Schematic Design is specific to the point of establishing the scope, budget and schedule for the project. In effect, the design team, working with the School Building Committee and the School Committee have developed a plan detailed enough for the Massachusetts School Building Authority to now review and determine whether they will support the project going forward into construction. Costs of the Project The Schematic Design submitted to the MSBA includes a total project budget of $66,700,000. This project budget of $66,700,000 is for the construction of the new school building along with the demolition of the existing Veterans’ Memorial School. Demolition of the East Gloucester Elementary School, the construction of a new softball field at a new location, and the cost of swing space will be funded separately by the City. Value Engineering At the June 18, 2020 School Building Committee meeting, the committee reviewed aspects of the project that had undergone “value engineering” by CBRE/Heery (the owners project manager), Dore & Whittier (the project architect), WT Rich (the project contractor). The goal was to evaluate possible savings versus impact on the overall construction of the school building. The committee voted to make changes on such construction items as flooring and tile specifications, exterior soffit materials / details, replacing pre-cast concrete pavers with concrete paving, etc.. These changes resulted in a reduction to the budget in the area of $1.3 million and is reflected in the budget submitted to the MSBA. For more information on the Value Engineering discussion, click here. Important Milestone - MSBA Submission July 9, 2020 The submission of the Schematic Design is a very significant milestone for the project and it sets the stage for further action on the proposed project. Approval by the MSBA Board of Directors is required for all projects in order for the MSBA to enter into a Project Scope and Budget Agreement and a Project Funding Agreement with the District. With the approval of the project by the voters of the City of Gloucester, the project can then go into the construction phase. Article 97 / Land Transfer A second important element of the project is the status of the ownership of the land for the purpose of moving the project forward. Technically, for the project to actually occur, all of the land upon which the new school would be constructed must be in “possession” of the school department. For that to occur, the City of Gloucester petitioned both Houses of the state legislature for their approval under a regulation known as Article 97. To-date, the City of Gloucester moved this request to the City Council, which approved the submission of the Article 97 request to the state legislature. As of this writing, the House has approved the measure and the measure is now making its way through the Senate. Massachusetts School Building Authority Phases of the Building Project |
AuthorsMembers of the East Gloucester Building Committee post project updates here periodically. Archives
January 2021
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