On schedule, under budget

Construction at John Long Middle School is on schedule and under budget, Grafton School District Business Manager Topher Adams said this week.

The positive progress has allowed the district to pursue several alternative projects in addition to the planned renovation and expansion of the school, Adams said.

Those include remodeling the existing science room, cafeteria bathrooms, offices and teacher lounge, he said.

“The schedule is running really well. It’s super exciting,” he said, noting drywall will be put up in the addition next month and painting and millwork will be completed, while flooring will be done in June.

Work on the addition is expected to be completed by the end of the school year, so construction crews can start work renovating John Long, Adams said, ahead of the entire project’s completion by the start of the next school year.

The 14,000-square-foot expansion includes six classrooms, two special education rooms and one “bubble” room to accommodate class size fluctuations, allowing for fifth-grade classes at Kennedy and Woodview elementary schools to be moved to the middle school.

The projects are funded by an $11.14 million referendum approved by voters last year. Adams said all money from that referendum will be spent on work at John Long.

The district received its first good news about the project’s budget in May, when its financial consulting firm Baird secured a 3.69% borrowing rate for the project — 1.3% less than the anticipated rate and saving the district more than $600,000.

Adams said Baird made sure to not “get ahead of their skis” by over promising ahead of the project planning.

The district again got lucky when its construction firm CG Schmidt secured favorable bids for subcontracted work.

“We hit a great spot from a budget perspective of going out to bid,” he said, noting several companies had gaps in their schedule during the time work was needed.

School officials have said moving the fifth-grade classes will help relieve overcrowding in the district’s elementary schools by freeing three classrooms at each school.

Construction of the addition was estimated to cost $6.7 million, and the site work $1.6 million.

The renovation project includes expanding the cafeteria, relocating the science room and remodeling a number of special education and staff spaces and restrooms, adding parking to replace spaces taken up by the addition and providing outdoor play equipment.

Those projects were estimated to cost $2.8 million.