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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1956-09-20-FSABC-rpt.pdf . • • •t f Lexington Massachubetts September 20, 1956 Dear Town Meeting Members Sinoe late last springt the Franklir School. Addition Building Cor , - - appointed at the annual /956 town meeting, has worked with the selected architect on final plans and specifications. On Tuesday„ September 1l 1956, the Committee opened the bids as submitted by eleven contractors. The tot&I appropriation. of $515,000 allocated $430,000 for the general, contract. The low bid tame in et $509,000 or $79,C00 above the estimate. After consuitatton with the architect and careful thou„;ht by the Committee, three courses of action a evidentg l. Request the To for an additional. $79,000 to construct the szlhool as designed, or 2, Make certain minor changes and secure new bids to reduce the amount of the additional funds required, or 3. Redesign the school to stay vithin the present appropriation of $515,000. This course of action would :require a reduction in the number of classrooms and other edmational features. It is the belief of the Committee that the first course of action i the most desireble and at the Spelei Torn Meeting to be held on October 14 1956, you Will be asked to appropriate the edad funds. This decision was based on the following reasonsg i The School Committee and Superintendent of Schools have reiterated theLopinions that the building as designed is essential to Lexington 's educational program and should be made available as soon as possible. 2. The architect has informed the Comittee that in his opinion any contemplated savings brought about by minor changes in design or plans wilt be more than offset by the price increases that are expected within the period of 90 days required before new bids can be secured?, and 3. Rapidly rising school construotion coats apparent in the Goe4tax. Roston area during the period April to September 1956 indicta that our 18% overrun is consistent with the experience of neighboring communities. 4, Past experience thdicates that higher costs usually resAt from delays in construction, It is the belief of the Franklin Committee that you zili want a much information as possible in preparation for the October 1st meetlno. Thor-afore, we are enclosing a mom detailed report for your study Very tr yours, FRANKLIN SCHOOL, ADDITION BU1LD2NG oOMMZTTEE Robert E. Sigfried, Chai Eleanor B. Litonfield, SecretaTy John M0 Biggs Stanley E. Robbins Edward T. Martin _ ---.. .... REPORT OF THE FRPNKL2N SCHOOL ADDITION BUILDING COMVITTEE vote of the Town Meeting in March 1956, the Franklin School Addition Building Comittee w,s authorized to construzq an addition to the Franklin School at a total cost riot to exceed $515,000, The appropriation of $515,000 was itemized es follovsg Gene . Contract $430,000 Architect 's Fees 29,000 Equipment 11 000 - f, Clerk of the Works 5,000 Contingemtes 20,000 VA5,-666 TL The final plans developed by tMs Commtttee re substantially in ac:cord mith the plans set forth in the brolliure presented et the tiw of the town meeting, with the folioeving revistons; A. Total ground area or foundation area Wts reduced by .approxt- , mately 2,000 sq. ft" resulting in a more .t,ompact overall dgn by the following meen ; L Relotation of' the two classrooms in the northeast Irorner of the the 1. Changing to a two-level building OD the southeast corner to use moreeeffitiently the sloping terrain, .. B. Changed from an r1.1 masonry to uoodeu flame type o ,, onstrufon brk-k veneer/). The existing 1,oilding eod the new addition ghee of the same type of ,c,onstration. ., C. Intreased by approximately 600. aq. it. the size of the alIl- purpose room to make It proportion41 to the size of the. ail- : purpose rooms in Lexipgton's Aher net elementary shools, A (,omparison of the areas in various all-purpose rooms is as folioat Meri, HastEngs 4720 so , ft, Harrington 4310 so. ft, oropocsed Franklin 4200 sqH ft. D. Addition o a seeage field smffitient to servite the entire building., The original estAmate included a $1,000 aJ.lowanze for onnecting with a town sewer . We are informod that them is no . malediate prubpet for. a town sewer in this area, The Cow ..ttee had been ,dv.'ised that these changes should have resuaed tn 1, net d :.reae ih cost of the butlding. IHO Eleven bids were received, with the low bidder at $509,000. The appropriated sum for the general contract was $430,000. A0 Wiaeaa 1,183 or 18% increase based on general 430,000 contract only. 2. ;5.21A92g fa 1.15 or 15% increase based on total 515,000 appropriation. Ten of the eleven. bids were within a 6% spread indicating that this is a representative price, based on toduafl market conditions. 1V0 The Committee has been advised by the architect that the points of greatest overrun are estimated as follows: Dec. 1955 Aug. 1956 Sept. 1956 Estimating kugineers Mechaniaa; Engineers _ _Jo Ove77,Tn Heating Ventilating $42,370 $50000 —174,700 Electrical 26,000 36,400 42,700 Plumbing 204;0 er7000 249Q9 Subtotal $88,570 $113,400 $142,300 $28,900 Sewage Disposal Field $1,000 $ 20,000 $19,000 V. The following alternates have been taken under consideration by the Committees A. Accept the existing low bid and request a special_ Town Meeting prior to October 10, 1956, for the purpose of appaopalating an additional $79,000. The existing bids are valid for thirty days from September 11, 1956. B. Reject all bids and request architect to advertise for new bids. Wherever possible, building specifications should be relaxed to save additional money. An estimated $10,000 to $20,000 may be saved without redesigning the school and without affecting the educational program. Examples of these items are: 1. Kitchen Equipment 2. Eliminate curtains 2. Substitute enameled walls where tile is specified 4. Eliminate skylights in classrooms. Co Redesign building and reduce educational program to stay within the $515,000 appropriated. It is estimated that the following items would be deleted to obtain this price based on today's markets I. Two classrooms 2. Library 3. Principal 's office 4. Covered walkway between existing building and new addition 5. Back door facilities (janitor's cubicle, food storage,. etc. ) 6. Miscellaneous items mentioned above totaling $10,000 to $20,000. VL The Committee ©,OfitttentS as follows on the '4,. •:!ove s1terr2:ithst A. Appropriation of $51'5,000 was made by the Town based on preliminary pJ;ans for a ten-tlassroom sthoo:i. repre , vented by the existing bids. The School Committe and Supe.rintenderxt of Schools have established the need fox' this educational program. This Committee feels that any plan that /*elms:5 the educational proigratri set forth previously cannot be accepted without approval of Town Meeting. The Committee, however„ does not retommend the erection of en additional that l6 inadequate for the present needs of the commimity„ We therefore do not recomsnd alternate V above. B. Without a substantial redesign of the proposed new adds tion the Committee cannot guarantee a ssvn n cost„ New bids,. based on the existing design. with nor modifications, may result in no saving or may actually result 'in a higher cost hecausea 1„ Bids would be opened during a less favorable ;linter market, 2. Further price increases will have taken place. These increases are estimated at 7 to 9% by January 10 0'57, 3„ Rebids histori„.ally are higher than original bids. Since there is, no assured salAngs and there is the possibility of an actual iAdditional expenditure through rebiddIng„ the Committee does not mcommena alternate V 03 , C,. The Committee retormokInds alternate V (A)) for the following reasons2 L Professional advice in,dicates that the i,n, reased cost Is largely accounted for by a general price escalation since January l 1956, plus the need for including disposal field in the cost, 2„ A delay of approximately three to four months is associated with any plan other than proceeding with these bids. A severe winter may 5..n?::rease the delay., 3, The Cooral.ttee sees no price advantage in delaying the erection of this addition, short of drastially reduicing the educational prograia. 4. A delay would necessitate double sessions for several hundred students. FRANKLIN SCHOOL ADM fl( B137.LIDING ..:014CITEE ,epts.F.mber 20, 1956