As we are progressing through the refining of the design process, the architects get budget estimates for current plan iterations. The last time this was done, we were about five million dollars over our construction budget. While this seems like a lot, both the architects (IBI) and our project management firm (HMK) assured us that it was very typical, even on the lower end, of what they usually see at this stage.

What this means is that we have to continue to modify, refine and reduce in certain places in order to meet all of our highest priority bond objectives. As with all projects, there is always a longer wish list than there is funding available! One of the areas for change that became apparent quite quickly was to eliminate the move of 5th grade over to the MS/HS campus. When this was proposed as part of the plan it was done so in order to allow for growth at the elementary school, where we use all the classrooms currently.

Amity as a town is expected to continue to grow over the next decade and beyond, and the type of housing that we are anticipating will likely have significant numbers of school-aged children. This is a good challenge to have as a school, but one that can be addressed in multiple ways. By keeping the 5th graders at the elementary school, we can save about $600,000 on the construction project, helping us get closer to maximum construction cost we can afford.

Also, I think it is important to note that moving 5th grade was probably the least popular part of the bond proposal! The board voted on making this change to the plans at their last meeting after listening to input from IBI, HMK and school administrators.

Throughout this bond process the ultimate goal is to provide a great place for our kids to attend school for decades to come. As a district we want to be good stewards of the funds and facilities entrusted to us. This modification does not hamper that goal and helps us maintain our financial values. Thank you for the great community support we have experienced through this process co far. For more details about the bond and construction process, please visit https://hmkco.org/amitybond/

After great work by multiple committees involving staff and community members, architects and district representation, the design process is ready to move into Design Development, meaning it is getting more detailed and specific. The committees determined that the best overall solution was for the MS to be housed mostly in new construction added to the northeast side of the existing HS, the 1965 HS wing to be remodeled substantially, and to place the new HS gym between the CTE wing and the football field. There will also be an expansion of parking to more than compensate for room lost to new construction.

Cost estimates are getting close to what we originally hoped for, but there is still some refining to do. This is quite normal for a process that is so complex. There is always a longer wish list that is practical, but the needs of the district (students and staff) will be met in the end. 

There will be a website launching soon that will provide much more detailed information about current progress on the project, as well as other supporting information. This is being developed by HMK, our project management contractor. Once up and going, it will be linked to our district webpage.

I apologize for the delay in posting an update. Between vacations and some other superintendent stuff, time got away from me. 

There are two significant things going on with the construction process. The first is that we have agreed to hire Triplett Wellman as our CM/GC, meaning they will not just be our General Contractor, but all involved in planning and certain management aspects of the project. Triplett Wellman was also the contractor who did our last major construction project, the addition to the high school. 

We have also been progressing through the early stages of design, with two committees working with the architects (IBI Group). We have a middle school team and a high school team that meet with IBI representatives as well as our project managers, HMK. This process is challenging but rewarding as ideas slowly morph into real possibilities through multiple revisions. There is an incredible amount to consider as we look at many different aspects of the project. 

Very soon, HMK will be producing regular updates that will be distributed through social media and our website. 

Hope you all had a great Christmas season and a happy new year. 

Over the past month, several key things have happened or are in the process of happening. The district officially agreed to hire HMK as the project manager and has decided to use the CM / GC contracting method. This means that rather than put the entire project out to bid, there is an ongoing process that incorporates the contractor, project manager, architects and owner as each phase of the project comes about. This allows us to make adjustments to plans if costs rise, should lead to fewer unexpected costs and fewer change orders, and hopefully make for a smoother overall process.

We are currently advertising for CM / GC proposals. 

The pre-design planning process is moving along on schedule with IBI, with our final meeting on October 27th. After that, IBI should be able to focus intensively on the specifics of the design process. 

We have also had some surveys going on so that IBI and the engineers they use will have a complete picture of our project. The most recent of these surveys was a geotechnical one that allows us to know what lies beneath the soil surface, thus allowing for better design strategies.

September 20, 2022 Update

Since my last update, we have finalized our agreement to hire IBI Group architects. We begin Master Planning meetings this week to nail down the general design of the new/remodeled facility. We will also be advertising for proposals for construction management firms, with the goal of having a recommendation for the school board at the October meeting. 

As we begin to generate some more details of the project, we will try to make those available on the website. This blog will provide a link.

Last night, at a special board meeting and following an extensive selection process, IBI was selected as the designer (architect) for the bond projects. IBI architect Levi Patterson worked with the district during our recent facility review and long-range facility planning process as well as the pre-bond planning process. We are excited to continue working with Levi and IBI and we trust that they will be the best possible result to our district.

Well, it has been a while since I posted on the construction blog. Some of that was due to me being on vacation, but mostly it is because we have been waiting for some back and forth between the architect and the management firm on fee negotiations.

Meanwhile, we have contracted with several specialty engineering firms to do the preparatory work prior to the architects getting started. This includes such things as geotechnical and hazardous materials surveys. These should be all wrapped up by September.

Hopefully, we will have the architects onboard very soon and the design process can get underway in earnest. 

We have three fronts that we are currently working on with regards to the bond. One is the process of getting our S&P bond rating so whoever is interested in buying the bonds knows the risk level. We are scheduled to find out the rating tomorrow sometime, which then allows for the sale of the bonds to proceed. 

Second, we finished the architectural proposal reviews and firm interviews over the past week. HMK is now representing the district in a fee negotiation with our first choice with the goal being board approval in August. 

Third, HMK is working with us to retain contractors who can do some required preliminary site evaluation surveys, namely hazardous materials and topographical surveys. 

As we head into the heat of summer, we are making progress on the necessary item on our bond timeline. There are two important issues that we are in the middle of right now. One is to get the bonds sold, hopefully by early August. We are working with Piper Sandler, Inc. as our underwriter. The second item is to select an architect. We put out a request for proposals and have received proposals from four different architects. These proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee over the next week, resulting in a recommendation to the school board to retain one of those architectural firms.

Last Wednesday, June 22, we held a mandatory "pre-design proposal" meeting for any architects who are interested in submitting a proposal to the district for their services. This meeting, run by David McKay from HMK, was attended by six architectural firms, all of whom have extensive experience in K-12 design projects. 

On Friday, July 15, a committee will meet to review and score design services proposals, and will then forward a recommendation to the school board. The plan is to have an architectural firm officially hired at the August board meeting.