An owner's representative for the High School building project seemed like a good idea last month, but this month it is a luxury the School Department may not be able to afford.

School Building Committee chairman Elaine Moloney reported at Tuesday's meeting of the School Board that cost estimates for renovations to the 35-year-old High School, approved by voters in last fall's election, are coming in higher than expected.

At the May meeting of the Building Committee, architects HKTA presented bids for the scope of work that were $1.1 million higher than the $7.9 million bond approved by voters.

The result is that a number of projects that were to be included in the renovation will now be consider add-alternates, to be addressed if funding allows.

One of those add-alternates may be an owner's representative for the project. At their May meeting, School Board members agreed hiring an owner's representative to act as a liaison between the school department and the construction manager would be a good idea, especially since Superintendent Dr. Thomas Forcella will be leaving for a new job July 1.

However, fluctating costs of the project may mean an owner's rep is no longer in the picture.

The architects and the construction manager for the High School project, Payton Construction, will come to a maximum guaranteed price by mid-summer, Moloney reported. "Construction costs are varying greatly at the moment and are having a direct effect on where we are at the moment in developing estimates and that final price," Moloney said.

Already work on the high school track, which was scheduled for this summer along with asbestos removal and roof repair, has been postponed. A phasing plan being developed by Payton, as well as subcontractor bids, may provide further savings towards the town's commitment to stay at the $7.9 million budget.

Forcella also reported on huge increases in prices of steel and in anything that uses oil in its manufacture. He did have good news, however, on the addition to the Pond Cove School, a project also approved by voters at $1.5 million.

Bids for the project were nearly on target, and all bids were very close, Forcella said. "That says a lot about the estimates done for the project," he said.

Langford & Low Inc. was the low bidder at $1,109,299 and was thus awarded the Pond Cove project. Also, as Forcella reported last month, $200,000 in state grants and interest-free loans will help with the project. "It looks like we're in very good shape as far as Pond Cove," Forcella said.

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• Pond Cove construction project awarded state grant (05/12/04)