Mark Lenfest, presenting for Left Field, told the Committee on Joint School Buildings on Jan. 14 that work on the district’s Priority 1 projects is progressing, with remaining modular-classroom closeout tasks expected to finish in the coming weeks and Hillside and McLaughlin (Group 1) moving toward 75% construction documents and a reconciliation estimate.

The update detailed recent fixes to the modular classrooms, including replacement of roughly 10 thermostats and a mechanical start-up procedure with Triumph that the presenter said “rooted out the problems,” and training plans for district maintenance staff to operate newly installed Bard units. Lenfest said, “we feel very confident that we'll be wrapping up all issues regarding the modulars in the next coming weeks.”

Why it matters: the Priority 1 work covers two sets of middle schools (Group 1: Hillside and McLaughlin; Group 2: Parkside and Southside) and temporary modular classrooms that have been the subject of public and aldermanic concern. The committee’s update also clarified that the Beach Street School project is on hold and no district dollars are being spent on that site while the Board of Mayor and Aldermen reviews the matter.

Committee discussion and key details

Chairman John O'Connell and committee members asked for clarification on scope, schedule and prior public presentations. O'Connell rejected a suggestion that what the district received differed from what was specified in the contract: “There was no gap between what was specified and what we received and what we paid for,” he said, while acknowledging that a previously shown video of a manufacturer’s product had included features (two-story visuals and colored exterior panels) that were not part of the signed specifications.

Architect Jen Susi of SMMA said the firm is “ongoing now with the programming for Parkside and Southside because we’re in schematic design,” and described regular meetings with principals, curriculum leads and facilities staff to refine space needs. Jim Gigante, identified in the meeting as district facilities staff, oversaw recent thermostat replacements and will participate in MEP training with the district’s maintenance team.

Beach Street status and schedule risk

Lenfest and other speakers told the committee that Beach Street remains paused following the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s vote not to continue. The presentation cited Beach Street at about 90% programming and roughly 40% design when it was stopped. Lenfest said the design team was disbanded after the halt and would have to be reassembled if the board votes to restart the project, creating an uncertain timeline: “I take the decision to halt as a decision to halt,” he said, and added that restarting would require reassembly of architects, engineers and other staff.

Cost and appearance questions

Committee members raised concerns that a promotional video shown earlier in the process made the modulars look different from the delivered units. O'Connell and others said the video depicted colored exterior panels and a two-story appearance that were not in the contract; adding the colored panels for all six buildings was discussed and priced internally at roughly $80,000–$100,000, figures the committee said were approximate. Committee members emphasized the need for visual materials to match contract documents when presenting options to the public.

Traffic, site logistics and next steps

The update covered exploratory work on a culvert at Sheridan/Emmett Park and ongoing site logistics planning with Consigli, the construction manager, and the city’s police and fire departments. Committee members asked for follow-up on traffic and drop-off/pickup circulation; the committee agreed to continue reporting on logistics. David Sanden (project staff) committed to updating the committee on how traffic planning ties into construction staging and site logistics.

Budget and procurement

Lenfest showed the committee a budget snapshot and said the Priority 1 program is tracking on a roughly $306,000 budget line included in the JSBC package. He also reported an invoice approval that was signed on Jan. 10, with payment approval scheduled for Jan. 16 and a check date of Jan. 17. The team said procurement and material testing will follow Manchester School District procurement guidelines.

Other items

Committee members asked about building life expectancy after rehabilitation; Jen Susi said the program typically plans for a 50-year lifespan after major renovation, subject to ongoing maintenance. The presenters described early-release bid packages, closeout work on Triumph modular contracts, and continued development of the Priority 1 website, expected to be completed in February.

Votes at the meeting

The committee voted to accept the report and submit it to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Board of School Committee for informational purposes; the vote was taken by voice and recorded as a majority “aye.”

What’s next

Presenters and staff said they will continue preconstruction and site-logistics meetings, return with traffic and logistics updates, finish closeout items for the modulars, complete the 75% construction documents and reconciliation estimates for Group 1, and be ready to resume paused contracts should the Board of Mayor and Aldermen authorize the Beach Street work to proceed.