FARMINGTON — The town's own reserve on the new Farmington High School held $1.68 million on Nov. 5, more than it held in March, and the building committee expects "a significant balance of contingency funds" to be returned to the town once the project is finished and closed out.
That expectation is in an Oct. 13 memo to the Town Council from Town Manager Kathleen Blonski. The figure is from the log the Farmington High School Building Committee's financial subcommittee reviewed Nov. 6. The reserve, called the owner's contingency, held about $1.58 million in the Oct. 16 log and about $986,000 in March.
It started at $6,234,286. Change orders, the changes to the construction contract made after it was signed, have used a net $3.04 million of it. Other approved costs, including project management, insurance and design services, have used about $1.51 million. The largest change order on the log is $1.31 million to replace the existing grandstands and press box.
A credit, then an audit
At its Nov. 6 meeting, the subcommittee approved a credit of about $72,000 from O&G Industries for "unexpected utility company charges," along with three invoices. What is left, the minutes say, includes checking the final payment application and change orders for accuracy, finishing items flagged in the commissioning report on the building's systems, and various punch list items.
Council member Bill Beckert told the Town Council on Nov. 10 that Arcadis, the owner's representative on the project, has begun preparing for the state's audit, and that the preparation is expected to be done in January. Once the subcommittee finishes, he said, the full committee will meet to formally close out the project. The Nov. 6 minutes say the subcommittee's Nov. 13 meeting and the full committee's Nov. 18 meeting will be canceled.
The track and turf field are a separate matter. The council has asked the committee to review whether it should oversee renovating or replacing them, and Beckert said that work would probably have to be dealt with in the spring.
This coverage is supported by Farmington Storage, 155 Scott Swamp Road, the only storage facility in Connecticut with Museum air. 860.777.4001 📦
Jack Beckett has read three of this project's contingency logs since March and would like the record to show he enjoyed one of them. He is on his second coffee. ☕
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