SMART Program Management Team Presents FY21Q1 BOC Report in Latest Meeting
January 25, 2021 | 5:30 PM – 7:30PM
The SMART Program Management Team met with Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) members on Monday, January 25, 2021. The meeting was conducted at the District’s Kathleen C. Wright Building, with those in attendance following safe social distancing guidelines and more staff and members of the public engaging remotely. New Bond Oversight Committee members were officially introduced and welcomed at the start of the meeting.
A presentation of the BOC FY21Q1 Report was provided to the committee, led by the District’s Executive Director of Capital Programs Frank Girardi and Program Director Kathleen Langan (AECOM), as well as additional members of both the new Program Manager Owner’s Representative (PMOR) team and District staff. Data included in the report represented the period that ended September 1, 2020, but additional updates on activity occurring since that time were provided as well.
FACILITIES DISCUSSION POINTS:
PRIMARY RENOVATIONS
- As of November 2020, 103 projects are currently in Active Construction, which means that nearly half of the schools in the SMART Program are being renovated.
- 21 projects are complete and have entered the final phase of their Primary Renovations, Construction Closeout.
- 56 projects have completed the Design phase and are in the process of hiring a contractor to begin work on their Primary Renovations.
A more detailed Process Chart will be available in future reports to more effectively explain the multiple stages involved in Construction Closeout.
2020 SCHEDULE RESET
In December 2020, the Program Management Team, AECOM, proposed a reset of the program schedule to the School Board at the State of the SMART Program (SOSP) workshop. After careful examination of the multiple factors impacting the Program (scheduling, roofing renovations, business relations, change management, e-Builder optimization, and long-term central improvement planning), it was determined that the existing 2018 schedule was unrealistic and could not be met. Based on the proposed reset, the projected date for completion of the Program would be the end of 2025.
The Board requested that the Program Management Team explore alternatives to the schedule that would result in projects being completed sooner, including adding more staff resources. An updated reset schedule will be presented at the next Board workshop on February 9, 2021. Until then, the reset schedule is being used to manage projects.
DATA REPORTING IMPROVEMENTS
The existing data was analyzed and a few inconsistencies in the quality of information were discovered. The Program Management Team identified opportunities to improve the process for monitoring and reporting the progress of projects via enhancements to e-Builder.
The goal of these enhancements will be to ensure data quality and integrity and to provide more up to date access to information.
The first all-electronic data set will be introduced in the second quarter.
IMPACTS OF COVID-19
When schools temporarily transitioned to remote learning in March, the Program Management Team intended to leverage the opportunity to increase production with campuses mostly vacant.
Roofing repairs, which account for a large portion of renovations in the Program, were able to move at a quicker rate than other renovations due to roofing companies being able to acquire additional roofers. Nearly 300 contractors were hired to work on roofing repairs across the District as many construction sites shut down due to the pandemic, and roofers were seeking work.
Though roofing repairs were able to continue with minimum disruption in productivity, continuing other renovations during a pandemic proved to be more challenging. The circumstances caused by the pandemic have affected several areas of the program over the course of the past 9 months:
- The Building Department shut down for a month at the start of March 2020, causing delays in the distribution of permits.
- Manufacturing plants shut down briefly, causing a delay in the delivery of supplies needed to keep construction moving such as windows and HVAC systems.
- Government agencies were shut down momentarily, blocking contractors from registering their bond once projects were awarded a bid.
- Some campuses continue to have a limited number of contractors on site as a result of the ongoing pandemic.
- Adhering to safety protocols, if a member of the construction crew becomes sick, the crew shuts down until it is safe to resume work.
BIG 3 SCHOOLS
All Big 3 schools are in Active Construction, with Northeast High School beginning construction on its weight room in August 2020. Blanche Ely High School is more than halfway through its construction with multiple renovations complete including the media center and outdoor dining structure. Stranahan High School has also completed more than half of its renovations with 90% of its interior work complete including HVAC improvements and STEM lab renovations in multiple buildings.
The following are the latest construction updates at the Big 3 schools:
Blanche Ely High School – 78% Complete
- The Wheelchair ADA Lifts in Building 14 and in the STEM Labs in Buildings 18 and 26 were completed in December.
- Improvements continue in other areas of the campus including an ADA compliance conversion in the locker room and interior and exterior work in Buildings 1, 2, 17 and 26.
Northeast High School – 7% Complete
- Weight room remains underway.
- Contractors received a roofing permit for roofing repairs on Building 12.
- Design drawings are being reviewed by the Building Department for the new classroom addition.
- Once a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is received, the contractor will go out to bid and the project will move forward.
Stranahan High School – 72% Complete
- Design drawings for the cafeteria are in progress and are being reviewed by the Building Department.
- Two Wheelchair ADA lifts in the gymnasium are complete. The lift in the auditorium is still in the process of being installed due to ongoing construction in the building.
SCHOOL CHOICE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM (SCEP)
As part of the School Choice Enhancement Program, schools are allocated $100,000 to spend on customized enhancements voted on by the school and its community. Of the 230 schools in the Program, 148 schools have completed all initiatives with 1,272 SCEP items being delivered and installed. There are currently 68 schools in the Implementation phase, awaiting the delivery and installation of all their items, and 15 schools in the Planning/Design phase, deciding how to best spend their SCEP funds.
COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Bond Oversight Committee introduced four new committee members during the meeting.
The Bond Oversight Committee provided the following comments:
- The Committee looks forward to more detailed reporting in future reports.
- The Committee also recommends that the public remain informed about the status of the updated program schedule and the status of projects at their community schools.
The next Bond Oversight Committee Meeting is scheduled for 03/08/2021
To watch this meeting, or to view future live stream meetings, visit https://becon.eduvision.tv/
