Flossmoor High School is continuing on schedule.
Construction of the two arts wings onto the South Building at Homewood-Flossmoor High School is proceeding on schedule.
“The overall message is clear: we are currently on time and on budget,” architect Ed Wright of DLA Architects told the District 233 school board at the Dec. 17 meeting.
Work on the band, orchestra and choir rooms is on schedule. Wright said workers have the space under roof and heaters will be installed so construction work can continue throughout the winter months. The space is being constructed just south of the Mall Auditorium.
The second addition is a black box theater for the performing arts program. It also can be converted for uses by other programs and serve as a meeting space. This addition is north of the Mall Auditorium. Wright said construction is behind schedule by about three weeks, due to issues with poor soils on site and the need to move some utility lines.
Homewood-Flossmoor High School is
continuing on schedule.
(Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)
The board approved the $13.98 million contract with Cosgrove Construction of Joliet in June 2 and broke ground for the two additions Aug. 1. The board agreed to several cuts to the plans in order to keep the work within budget.
Wright told board members two contingency allowances were part of the plan. The bid specifications set aside $200,000 in anticipation of any work for soils and other issues. Wright said the cost was $150,000.
At the same time, he estimated the district saved about $50,000 by having space behind the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District’s Ice Arena to place the excavated dirt from the work sites. He said the pile of dirt would be leveled shortly.
The contract also included $150,000 for delays due to winter weather conditions. He said the music rooms addition is on time, but parts of the black box theater site are under plastic and workers will be in tents until about mid-January when that space will be under roof. Wright said crews will probably spend about $50,000 of that weather allowance.
Wright expects between the two funds the district will have about $140,000 remaining. He said the board may want to revisit the graphic design work space that was dropped from the plans. The contractor bid $190,000 on the work as a contingency project.
The board doesn’t need to make a decision until spring on whether that project could be built using the remaining funds, he said.
Once the work on these two spaces is completed, the old band and choral areas will be remodeled for fine arts. Wright anticipates the conversion to art studios will take until October.
Superintendent Von Mansfield told the Chronicle that he wasn’t surprised by the good report.
“On time and on budget, that’s the way we’ve operated. Very few of our projects have gone over budget, and if they have it’s been very minimal. The majority of our projects come in under budget as well as on time,” he said.
Homewood-Flossmoor High School “is a pretty extensive and phenomenal plant when you talk about the 100 acres we have here and the buildings and grounds,” Mansfield said, adding visitors from other school “are pleasantly surprised” when they visit the campus.