RUHS Prepares

$10M Proposal

By Sandy Cooch

With the assistance of a newly-hired project manager, a building committee is "cautiously" preparing for voter approval of a roughly $10-million bond issue for extensive repairs at Randolph Union High School.

RUHS Principal John Holmes told The Herald last week that it is not clear when the proposal will be ready, but that it was definitely "not on track" for a November bond vote. Before a vote can be held, he pointed out, a series of public information sessions must be scheduled.

Dore & Whittier, the architectural firm retained last year as a consultant for the RUHS project, had initially recommended a November vote. Assuming voter approval, a November vote would give architects time to ready plans for competitive bidding from the largest pool of contractors, the firm said.

The RUHS/RTCC building needs extensive repairs, including a new roof and insulation, and an electrical upgrade. Last November, after viewing a broad range of options, the board selected a $14.8-million packet of "Option 6" repairs as a middle-range solution.

Momentum for the project stalled in June, however, when Dore & Whittier and Pizzagalli Construction shocked RUHS board and administrators by producing a detailed Option 6 estimate that was 50% higher than the initial estimate of $14.8 million, generated by D&W last fall.

In July, the RUHS board decided to scale back the project to $10 million and planning recommenced.

New Committee

A reconstituted building committee, assisted by Project Manager Grant Fleming, is now "working on getting answers and dusting off the priority list of renovations" in Option 6, Holmes said last week.

The committee includes several people with extensive construction experience, including Fleming and Mike Lonergan, maintenance director at RUHS/RTCC.

Holmes said these men are contacting roofing and electrical "experts" and asking them to review the estimates the board has in hand.

The committee is hoping "another set of eyes on the estimate Pizzagalli gave" will help sift out "what we need, as compared to what they think we need," Holmes said.

Because of the expertise on building committee, members were hopeful that the committee itself could serve as the general contractor for the project. That could save a considerable amount of money.

However, the state Department of Education dashed cold water on the idea. Schools need full DOE approval of projects in order to qualify for 30-50% state aid for construction.

The committee will meet again today, Oct. 26, as it readies recommendations for the RUHS board.

When asked if spring 2007 construction still seems possible —assuming support from Braintree, Brookfield, and Randolph voters in the yet-to-be-scheduled bond vote—Holmes backed the committee’s slow and careful approach.

"We’re just being cautious," he said. "Because of the size of the estimate, obviously we can’t pull the money out of our back pocket and do it, and we want to get the most for our money."

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