Committee on Joint School Buildings

COMMITTEE ON JOINT SCHOOL BUILDINGS

April 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM

Chairman O'Connell called the meeting to order.

The Clerk called the roll.

Present: Alderman Bonilla, School Committee Members O'Connell, Turner, Hamer

Absent: Aldermen Fajardo, Thomas

Messrs.: M. Lenfest, H. Cobanoglu

1. Presentation from LeftField regarding the School District Priority One Project to date.

Mark Lenfest, Senior Project Manager at LeftField: So, jumping right in again, this is the work completed in the month of March. So, the update summary. The big jumps here are Parkside and Southside, the bidding for those projects. We are 95%+ complete on both of those. And then you'll see under construction, steady movement on both of the group one projects and Parkside/Southside. We are through steel topping off as of early this month. In our last 30 days, we've continued all of our weekly meetings with group one, group two, Beech Street. We continued all of the coordination meetings, logistics development, as well as the group two GMP execution in procurement. So, the GMP was executed, procurement has continued. Group one, we did our slab placements. When I say slab placements, after you erect the steel, you do your slabs on grade and then you're able to move forward with your interior framing and piping. So that's a huge milestone for both projects. The site work and excavation soils removal continued on group two, as well as structural steel at both of the group two projects. Again, not to get too far ahead of myself, but big milestone for the group two team. Both of those had their topping off ceremonies early this month. We continued roofing at McLaughlin and Hillside. We did a dental van relocation at Hillside. This facilitated some construction logistics; big help by Manchester DPW on that one and the Health Department that coordinates the van, really good team effort. Group two scope continued. Beech additional soil delineation continued; Beech scope was reviewed. FF&E, which is furniture, fixtures and equipment, as well as technology were reviewed with the district. Continued Beech Street GMP with the execution that was last month?

Hamdi Cobanoglu, Senior Project Manager at LeftField: Yes. That was executed by the district.

M. Lenfest: Right. So again, big milestone. That's our fifth school project. So again, all of them are at the GMP or beyond phase.

Chairman O'Connell: So for the benefit of the public and the board, could you elaborate on GMP?

M. Lenfest: It's guaranteed maximum price. So, it's the construction management firm along with the design team developing the scope, getting competitive bids within the market, and coming up with the contract that was executed between Harvey Construction and the school district. So that is the master contract for the Beech school.

Chairman O'Connell: I think the important thing for the layman, as I am, is that it's a difference between design, estimating bidding process, and eventually you get a guaranteed maximum price and you only know how much it's going to cost you when the market responds and says, this is how much we're going to charge you to do that work. So as soon as you get to guaranteed maximum price, this is what it's actually going to cost to build the building and it proves that your numbers were right, or at least they've been modified to get to right. So, it is a big milestone.

M. Lenfest: Well said, Mr. Chairman. And then we had continued the modular work. We've actually wrapped up the modular warranty work. And then continued communication with all stakeholders. The 30 day look ahead, we're going to maintain the weekly OAC meetings, continue coordination. We've actually done it at this point, the group one commissioning kickoff. So commissioning is third party verification of installation of different scopes of work. So, your mechanical equipment, your electrical equipment, kind of the heart of the building. So, all five of our projects, we are using EEI, who is a very well-known vendor of Manchester, not just the school district. So, we're very lucky to have those folks on board and they've already started with their kickoff as well as their progress reporting. Continued group two procurement. Again, we're north of 90%, 95%, as of the latest update, which was today. So, you'll actually see a new slide deck. This is updated from what was sent out on Friday. We'll get that to the clerk tomorrow. Beech continued procurement again. There's been early procurement out there. But again, now that we have the GMP, you'll see that ramp up. We are continuing the group one envelope framing and mechanical electrical fire protection and plumbing on the additions. Group two steel detailing and slab preparation. So, when I say steel detailing, they've topped off. So, the structural steel is in place. Again, there's steel detailing, supplemental steel, additional steel within the frame that gets done after the crane leaves, as well as they're prepping for their slabs on deck. So again, once those are done, that facilitates the next step, which is your framing and your mechanical systems. Continued roofing at McLaughlin and Hillside. Again, those are coming close to wrapping up. We will have some as we take over the renovation areas. Group two schedule refinement. Beech DES soil management coordination. Again, everyone knows that we have soil conditions out there that we're working with the Department of Environmental Services. Beech schedule review meetings. Again, furniture, fixtures and equipment, along with technology meetings. Summer work schedules and move ready planning. So, work schedules and the move planning will be moving furniture out of classrooms in the renovation areas and going after summer work in those areas. We've done our walks, our coordination with that. We've also brought in the furniture vendor on what will be repurposed versus what will be disposed of. Continued cost management, continued schedule refinement on all projects and communication with all stakeholders.

School Committee Member Turner: I appreciate all the updates. I was super excited to attend at least one of the topping off ceremonies. Just the energy of the staff and the students and everyone involved, honestly, is palpable. It's just really exciting. As you know, my daughter is at Hillside. She came home Friday to report I'm going into the new construction on Tuesday, we get to go see, and I've seen pictures of some of our students interacting with the new construction, which is really exciting that they can feel some ownership of it. It's been on the proximity of where they've been attending school all year. But for them to actually enter the space, I don't know who coordinated that or had the foresight to organize that, but I think it's an important piece and the kids are really excited to participate in that. I guess my only question is with the soil at Beech, is that holding up our progress at all or our timeline?

M. Lenfest: Currently, it is based on just the amount of delineation that needs to be done and determination based under what's called an order permit out there. So currently, it's early on. So, we haven't actually been able to do the work yet. We're in the testing phase. And we are tracking behind on where we would like to be on the testing.

School Committee Member Turner: Are we anticipating to get back on schedule?

H. Cobanoglu: So, this Friday SMMA will prepare the draft report and then it will be submitted to the DES. Then it will be a couple of weeks for the DES to review the application, and probably we will have a meeting with them and then it's going to take a couple of weeks for the DES to approve. But as soon as they approve, the site contractor is ready to go and everyone is just waiting for that approval. And it shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks.

School Committee Member Turner: You said this Friday?

H. Cobanoglu: This Friday the draft reports will be submitted.

M. Lenfest: It was very exciting that people were able to make it out. I felt a little guilty. Group one had much better weather than group two. For the topping off, you either braved the rain or the snow.

School Committee Member Turner: I missed the snow one. I was out for the rain one.

M. Lenfest: It's good that folks made it out, though, it's good to see the appreciation.

Chairman O'Connell: Before I go to Alderman Bonilla, I just want to be clear. So, as it stands today, the completion date or the occupancy date for the new Beech Street School is September 1, 2028. The beginning of the school year in 2028 is the date that we expect to complete.

H. Cobanoglu: It's the contractual date for Harvey. But they can always review the delays and get back to us, but so far, I think it still remain as is. And hopefully when we know the start date, then Harvey will prepare recovery schedule to work overtime extended hours and they will try to come back to the original schedule in terms of all the activities.

Chairman O'Connell: And we expect to know that when? Is that coming out Friday? When would we expect to know? When would we expect to hear from Harvey here's the accelerated work created, which we're going to work, and this is what it's going to be, and we're going to deliver for the opening of the first day of school, September 2028?

H. Cobanoglu: They should know the start date first so they can rebuild their schedule. So right now, we don't have the start date for the construction because we are waiting for the DES approval. But in a couple of weeks, when we know the exact start date, Harvey will work on that information and they will prepare an updated schedule. Probably at the next meeting, we can share this information with you.

Chairman O'Connell: Good. So, you would expect that our next meeting of this board, that we would have an answer to that question?

H. Cobanoglu: We hope so, yes.

Alderman Bonilla: In regards to the Beech Street School project, I was wondering when we would see the project updates on the Manchester School District website.

H. Cobanoglu: It should be there.

Alderman Bonilla: As I'm looking at it right now on the district website where it says priority one construction updates, I don't see Beech Street there yet. So, when will we expect to see it there?

H. Cobanoglu: It should be online. I shared it with the district and they confirmed that they uploaded it into their website. But I didn't confirm myself.

Chairman O'Connell: I'm looking at it right now. So, if I go to mansd.org, and then go to priority one.

Alderman Bonilla: It says Hillside and McLaughlin only.

Chairman O'Connell: So, priority one schools. The first one is Beech Street, then McLaughlin, then Hillside, then Parkside, then Southside. The first one is Beech, then McLaughlin, then Hillside. If you press on Beech, it brings up the details for Beech.

Alderman Bonilla: I'm talking about the one at the bottom where it says priority one construction updates. You know how it gives you play by play on a daily basis?

Chairman O'Connell: Maybe we have to look at where it's appearing on the website.

M. Lenfest: We also have with this slide deck, we're sharing the website for Beech. So that's been updated here, but we'll take a look at that.

Chairman O'Connell: Thank you for bringing that up, Alderman. I have a question. The continuing modular warranty work. I was hoping that that was something belonging to the annals of history. Why is it still here and when is it going away?

M. Lenfest: It's done. It's completed in the last 30 days. So going forward now, our next task is to close out of the modular contract.

Chairman O'Connell: So, we're satisfied with where they've gotten to after this elongated period? That the vendor has performed and that anything that needed to be done is done and we're going to pay them whatever they were due in residual payments that we were holding until such time as this project was completed to our satisfaction? In other words, maybe the short version of it is, at what point are we going to be done with talking about modulars? Because they're two years old now, and I'm bothered that they're still appearing on our reports as work being done on modulars that were bought and paid for two years ago.

M. Lenfest: We are done with talking about the modulars. We're going to financially close out the project. And anything remaining would just be a maintenance issue going forward. No longer a warranty issue, once we close out the financials.

Chairman O'Connell: Is that the end of your presentation for this week?

M. Lenfest: I did have one comment. Committee Member Turner had brought up the student engagement. I just wanted to say that the group one projects within priority one, the principals have been amazing on their ability to engage the students along with the construction managers. We've had tours that she was speaking about that her daughter is going to be part of. Hillside has made a commitment that every student will walk through the construction during this engagement phase. So, it's really been something and I know over at McLaughlin, if not the same, very close. So, it's been great to have that participation with the schools.

School Committee Member Hamer: Just on that note, I was at the Parkside topping off and it was that cold, rainy day standing outside, but it was the first topping off I've been to, and I was amazed by the interaction between the construction crew and the students and the principals and the teachers. I was really impressed and I thought the signing of the beam, I know students were very proud and happy to do that as well. I thought it was great to have them engaged and some of those fifth-grade students are going to be there when it's all done, so I think that's wonderful.

Chairman O'Connell: I think we've talked about this offline. I've presumed that the board would like an opportunity to tour these construction sites. I presume we would like to do that. So, can we work between now and the next meeting on a schedule? You know, we can circulate with the board at the time that suits them best. What are the issues with regard to a subset or all of this joint board doing a tour? I'm thinking about quorums and meetings and public boards. How would that work?

Michael Intranuovo, Assistant City Clerk: If you do have a quorum of the board meeting at a site and you're talking about official business, you could be running into an issue with the right to know law.

Chairman O'Connell: I know that the city has many times in the past visited sites. I know that the Zoning Board or Planning Board has done it from time to time. So, is it a matter of public notice? Could we have the meeting here, and then depart to go to a site?

M. Intranuovo: Correct. We could convene here, recess the meeting, and go to the site and reconvene the meeting.

Chairman O'Connell: We could talk about that in the coming days.

M. Intranuovo: Absolutely.

Chairman O'Connell: It would be good to have. And we would invite whoever else wanted to come along as a public representative to see it. But it's exciting right now because in the first two of the four middle schools, there's significant progress. So, you get to see the floor before the walls go up, as the walls are going up, electrical being inserted and other products being inserted in the walls and then being closed off. And you see that one floor over the other. So, it gives a real perspective about how a building grows from paper to steel to concrete to an end product. So, it is very exciting. I am looking forward to seeing it, I drive by Beech Street School site every day and I can't wait to see that growing up out of the ground as soon as possible.

M. Lenfest: This is just a representation. The detailed budgets are in your report. We are still tracking on budget within each individual project as well as the overall $306 million. This is just a snapshot of the previous invoice. The latest invoice has been submitted. It's been reviewed. It is currently being signed. We expect to have that in the next two days. That will be shared as an updated amendment to your report. And then just on the updated schedules again, no changes on group one. Group two was updated to show the additions with that February move in date that was previously discussed. No other changes. We're holding the Beech contractual date currently on completion with the schedule. The last item, we did update the last slide to include the link to the Beech Street Elementary School project. This should be the link that's on the MSD website. But we'll check that with Alderman Bonilla's comments.

2. Monthly status and financial report for March 2026 submitted by LeftField.

On motion of School Committee Member Turner, duly seconded by School Committee Member Hamer, it was voted to accept the report and submit it to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and Board of School Committee for informational purposes.

School Committee Member Turner: As you're talking about the students seeing the different levels of construction and the electrical work, the plumbing, all of that, we have a captive audience. Hillside, for example, we've got 1,100 students. If they're all walking through there who knows what interests you're sparking with those students. And just for us to be lucky enough in this city to have MST as a career and technical education facility, those students don't have to go far. If the trades speak to them and they're seeing firsthand this is something they want to do, they want to work with their hands, I just think it's really special that our middle schoolers get to see that and possibly it sparks something in them or they run into an architect on site and it sparks that.

There being no further business, on motion of Alderman Bonilla, duly seconded by School Committee Member Turner, it was voted to adjourn.

A True Record. Attest.

Clerk of Committee

Meeting Start Time: 5:00PM Meeting End Time: 5:23PM Minutes Prepared By: Michael Intranuovo