Woodrow Wilson Building Committee

07/27/2020 Page 1 Committee Members Committee Staff Councilman Gene Nocera, Co-Chair Dr. Michael Conner; Superintendent Councilwoman Jeanette Blackwell Co-Chair Marco Gaylord; Director Operations Councilman Philip Pessina Vice-Chair Elise McDermott; Finance and Budget Kristy Byrd Peter Staye; Director Facilities Sheila Daniels Erin Thazhampallath; Secretary John Giuliano Richard Pelletier John Phillips Theodore Raczka Stephen Zarger Anita Dempsey-White Meeting Minutes ***Online WEBEX*** Woodrow Wilson Building Committee Monday, July 27, 2020 6:00 P.M Members Present: Councilman Gene Nocera Councilwoman Jeanette Blackwell Councilman Philip J. Pessina Richard Pelletier Stephen Zarger John Giuliano Sheila Daniels John Phillips Theodore Raczka Members Absent: Kristy Byrd Anita Dempsey-White Staff Present: Dr. Michael Conner; Superintendent Marco Gaylord; Director Operations Peter Staye; Director Facilities Elise McDermott Erin Thazhampallath; Secretary Others Present: Hristo Miljovski, Project Engineer, O&G Industries Joe Vetro; Project Manager, O&G Industries Randall Luther; TSKP Mary-Lynn Radych; TSKP Michael C. Scott; Senior Architect, TSKP Minh Nguyen; Millennial Mike Futrell; Millennial  07/27/2020 Page 2 1. Councilman Gene Nocera, Co-Chair calls the meeting to order at 6:00pm. 2. Councilman Gene Nocera calls for a Motion to Approve the Meeting Minutes of June 29, 2020.​ ​Motion by Jeanette Blackwell and seconded by John Phillips to approve the minutes of the meeting of June 29, 2020. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, Theodore Raczka, John Phillips. Philip Pessina Abstains. Motion passed. Committee Member Theodore Raczka exits the meeting 3. Construction Updates 3.1 Workflow Status: In Progress A. O&G Status Update:​ Joe Vetro; Project Manager, O&G Industries presents to the Committee the Monthly Project Report. We are running right on schedule within a couple of weeks. The big hold ups with Covid have been the door frames. We have come close to finishing and getting over those hurdles. We are moving ahead very well. Funds available have gone down slightly from $2,122,498 to $2,115,998. Joe Vetro presents the Items for approval: ● PCO #51​: Science Storage Cabinets for a Total of ​$29,672.00 This is for chemicals to be stored outside of the science rooms instead of inside the room. There will be storage rooms outside of the area. The architect converted several existing storage rooms but also had to add one storage room and also add ventilation to all those rooms. ● PCO #52​: Elevator Fused Disconnects for a Total of ​$2,975.00 This is a State Code issue where they added a change and now it is required to have two sets of disconnects, one at the unit and one back at the cabinet where the power comes in. ● PCO #53​: Locker Room Corridor H210 for a Total of ​$12,936.00 This is where there was a coordination issue with mechanical piping driving the light fixtures down too low and possibly the kids could reach these lights coming off of the locker room. The decision was to go with a ceiling mounted light fixture. ● PCO #54​: ASI-31 Fire Extinguisher Cabinet Walls for a Total of ​$1,730.00 This is where a couple walls needed to be changed to account for the fire extinguisher wall cabinet. ● PCO #55​: RFI-177 Kiln Power Requirements for a Total of ​$9,928.00  07/27/2020 Page 3 This is where the Kiln design was changed and this is the power change as a result. ● PCO #56​: ASI-34 Added Data Ports for a Total of ​$9,699.00 The owner has added in additional data ports in several classrooms. ● PCO #57​: RFI-240 Basketball Backstop Power or a Total of ​$3,972.00 The contractor provided additional backstop motors and this is the cost to add power for that. ● PCO #58​: PR-3 Floor Above Room 266 for a Total of ​$80,687.00 The floor over the fitness area and the deck above. The steel originally came to a total of $72,000 and we were able to get that reduced to $64,985. However, in addition to that we had to add in the concrete. The total cost here is now for the steel and for the concrete together. ● PCO #59​: PR-4 Area of Rescue for a Total of ​$14,420.00 We originally had an estimate of $18,000-$20,000 but we are able to get this total reduced for a cost savings. John Phillips asks if the total is against the Owners Contingency. Vetro states that this is against the Owners Contingency. John Phillips states that we should think about separating the Innovation Lab costs from the other Purchase Change Orders. He believes these should be viewed separately. Councilman Gene Nocera states that we can separate PCO #58 out and vote on it separately. Sheila Daniels asks for more clarification on these Change Orders and if we can get more information before we support these cost changes. Councilman Gene Nocera states that these have been discussed at the SubCommittee level for many months. They have been talked about and vetted and the SubCommittee felt that these changes will all be necessary. Daniels expresses that she is concerned with where we are heading if we continue down the road of approving all these changes at every meeting. John Phillips agrees with Daniels that some of these changes should have been discussed at the beginning of this project. Phillips asks why some of these did not come up in the prescope review meetings when everyone discussed the scope and work of these classrooms. Michael Scott; TSKP sheds some light on PCO 51: This was something that was identified by the science faculty outside of the program discussion that we previously had. It was identified as we were trying to firm up the GMP. We understood that it was a forthcoming change. We tried to minimize the impact of the change and to make sure that the pricing matched bid pricing. The order of magnitude is because we are talking about 12 closets. Initially all the chemicals were going to be in the science room and the decision was made not to include them in the room.  07/27/2020 Page 4 Sheila Daniels asks are there instances where we can ask the BOE to cover costs that are added after the fact especially as we begin to have more conversations surrounding the cost of the Innovation Lab. Councilman Gene Nocera states the Innovation Lab is an example where we have already discussed that with the BOE. We are excited for the Lab but after the cost of that space we can not continue to add on. Joe Vetro; O&G states that he hopes the Committee understands these are all thoroughly vetted and gone over extensively with O&G and TSKP. Michael Scott goes over some of the PCOs more thoroughly to explain the changes. Sheila Daniels states that she is grateful we are correcting things along the way and has an appreciation for that. She has high regard for doing everything we can while we have the opportunity so we are not disappointed when the building is finished but she also feels that these questions and concerns need to be asked and discussed. Michael Scott states that he understands Daniels concerns completely and feels like her questions are important. Randall Luther; TSKP states that he agrees with Daniels and also spends a lot of time asking for clarification on any changes. Vetro states that these are new things coming in and nothing has had to be redone. All these changes have come up before the work is done. Councilman Philip Pessina states that the bottom line is we need to realize that if we do it in this order we are saving money because these changes can save us costs down the road. Motion by John Phillips and seconded by Philip Pessina to vote separately on all costs associated with the Innovation Lab including PCO #58. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. Motion by John Phillips and seconded by Philip Pessina to approve O&G Change Order and Budget Transfer for PCO#51-#57 and PCO#59 in the amount of $85,332.00 against the owner contingency. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously.  07/27/2020 Page 5 B​. TSKP Status Update: Michael Scott encourages everyone to take a tour of the building and see the progress that has been made so far. Councilman Gene Nocera states that moving forward we will do our best to bring Change Orders to the discussion with more notice if possible. It is a very fluid process and timing is everything and he understands the concern. 4. Action Items: 4.1: ​Proposals for replacing the electrical service at 372 Hunting Hill: : Peter Staye presents three proposals to the Committee for the cost of replacing the electrical service: R&C Electric at a cost of $22,480, Tine Dale Corporation at a cost of $14,680, and Ekris Communications at a cost of $13,300. The electric line is being rerouted around and underground the building. Eversouce will not allow that line to come back out of the ground and back onto a pole unless the distance is half a mile and we don’t have that so we will need to bring that service in a different location. We reviewed a few different routes to determine what would be most cost effective and everyone involved agreed that entering onto the north elevation is most effective. The recommendation is to award the scope of work to Ekris Communications with the lowest bid of $13,300. Motion by Philip Pessina and seconded by Gene Nocera to award electrical service to Ekris Communications for a cost of $13,300. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. 4.2: ​Eversource Easement and Title Search Quotes: Councilwoman Jeanette Blackwell states that she reached out to the City Attorney Smith based on the discussion at the last committee meeting in June and Attorney Smith will send out notice to the Middlesex County Bar Association to inquire if they will do the Title Search Easement. We are doing that because the recommendation of the committee was to look for a local attorney and we wanted to make sure we did not show impropriety by choosing one local attorney over another. More to come on this action item which should stay on the agenda for next month and the City Attorney said this item can be tabled until next month with no foreseeable problem. 4.3: ​ PCO #43 Underground Power and Cable not to exceed $319,319.00: At the last meeting this proposal was approved as not to exceed $319,319.00 and the new cost is $232,155. ​Part of that savings was the elimination of the concrete encasement on the conduit which was half the value and the rest was negotiations with the contractor. 4.4:​ Innovation Lab: Dr. Michael Conner; Superintendent introduces Minh Nguyen and Mike Futrell from Millennial. Millennial is not an architectural firm, they are more  07/27/2020 Page 6 educational designers to help us to be able to support the design of this Lab. The Makers Spaces will have a technical education focus for K-5 which will lead into this innovation lab for 6-8 and then the 9-12 students will be able to be a part of the new aerospace manufacturing pathway. There will be a biotechnical and computer science pathway to prepare students moving forward. Dr. Conner thanked the Councilmen for stressing the urgency of this lab. The cost and support of fitting this Lab is coming from the Alliance Grant. There is a new element of needing this space which is that Thomas Edison Middle School in Meriden will be becoming a Meriden Public School which means that those students (about 120) will be coming back to Middletown and the new Middle School next year. As a result we are going to see a significant increase in enrollment. The space for this Innovation Lab is going to become more important as we move forward. Marco Gaylord states that 2 years ago we had a feeling that we would have an increase in students as this new building was built. We knew we would need a place holder for these students to go when they are not in Core Classes. When they are not on Core they need to have a place to go. Having this additional space will provide that. Mike Futrell from Millennial states they are excited to show the prototype and what this Innovation site could look like. We really wanted to look at the question: What is the education of the future? What is the curriculum and the look that would attract those who are interested in engineering and draw students to become interested. Minh Nguyen from Millennial presents the 3D Prototype for the Innovation Lab. Dr. Conner concludes that he wanted the Committee to see how this Lab fits into the overall vision for the students of Middletown. Shelia Daniels asks for clarification on the location of this extra space. At the last meeting we talked about this space being upstairs but in today's memo it says it will be in place of the media center downstairs and the media center would then be upstairs. She just wants clarity that this isn’t a compromise to the media center. Daniels does not want to lose sight of the media center and that element of the building and potentially have an access issue. She is excited for the plan and is supportive but just wants the clarification. Michael Scott; TSKP states that they were able to inject those existing spaces with a lot more spaces and equipment than originally thought. They were able to provide the same amount of shelving and work tables and the displacement creates another opportunity for group and team work that didn’t already exist. Daniels asks about evening events and the impact. Scott states that he believes there will be an abundance of after hour space on that floor. Financial Report​: 5.1: Financial Update: There is no Financial Report for tonight. 5.2: ​ ​Budget Transfer and Change Orders  07/27/2020 Page 7 John Phillips makes a comment that the presentation of the Innovation Lab was fantastic and the presentation was smart and forward thinking. It is a great program and the BOE should pursue this. Phillips feels that the process seems out of sequence. The proposal from TSKP is certainly necessary to accommodate this space yet we have already approved, in previous meetings, money for steel and tonight we need to approve money for concrete flooring and yet we still do not have a clear line of site on the cost because we need the engineering study to be completed first. This is all against the contingency and we still have many months of unforeseeable costs. Phillips states that he fears the fiscal stability of the budget going forward without a clear line of sight. He requests if this proposal can be beared by the BOE within their initiative and change to the educational specs. Councilman Gene Nocera states that the Chairs had similar feelings but from the get go we thought the project could support the development of an Innovation Lab. Our goal was that the amount the project could take out of contingency was around $350,000.00 but beyond that cost he feels we all have reason to be concerned. We have had assurances from the BOE that they are prepared to take care of the rest of the cost if needed. Marco Garylord states that 2 years ago he felt that the state formula for enrollment studies did not leave us with adequate square footage. Today the State agreed that the additional square footage is needed in order to not be burst at the seams. We are happy to have an Innovation Lab but more importantly the space is needed. If there is a cost beyond the $350,000 then the BOE would come up with the additional cost. Councilman Philip Pessina states that once we saw the Lab getting traction we had to order the steel and get that third floor started immediately in order to get where we are today. John Phillips states that he understands all of that and does not disagree with anything described. John Phillips states that he is willing to support a motion that we do not exceed $350,000 for the upgrade of the Innovation space. Motion by John Phillips and seconded by Gene Nocera that the committee supports using contingency funds for the Innovation Lab not to exceed $350,000.00. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. John Giuliano Abstains. Motion passes. Motion by Philip Pessina and seconded by Gene Nocera for additional work from TSKP for the Innovation Lab Fit-Out with Budget Transfer and Change Order work for a total of $37,250.00. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. Motion by Philip Pessina and seconded by Gene Nocera for a Budget Transfer and Change order for O&G PCO #58 Innovation Lab for a total of $80,687.00. All those in favor: Gene  07/27/2020 Page 8 Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. A. Motion by Gene Nocera and seconded by John Phillips to approve Budget Transfer and Change Order for O&G PCO #43 in the amount of $232,155.00. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. B. Motion by Gene Nocera and Seconded by Philip Pessina to approve Budget Transfer and Change Order for TSKP: GeoInsight (geotechnical observations) additional construction services + TSKP 10% markup in the amount of $8,236.94. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. C. Motion by Philip Pessina and seconded by Gene Nocera to approve Budget Transfer and Change Order for Admin Line Budget Transfer in the amount of $5,000 for Committee Secretary for the remainder of the project. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. 5.3: Invoice Approval A. Motion by Philip Pessina and seconded by Gene Nocera to approve O&G Invoice #12 in the amount of​ ​$3,506,177.31. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. B. Motion by Philip Pessina and seconded by Gene Nocera to approve the Eversource Trailer Utility Bill in the amount of $686.90. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. C. Motion by Philip Pessina and seconded by John Phillips to approve the Eversource New Meter on Hunting Hill Avenue in the amount of $1,070.26. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. D. Motion by Philip Pessina and seconded by Steven Zarger to approve the WWBC Secretary Timecard in the amount of $325. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. E. Motion by Philip Pessina and seconded by Jeanette Blackwell to approve TSKP Invoice #26 in the amount of $43,708.16. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell,  07/27/2020 Page 9 Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. 5. Discussion: Gene Nocera states that there is nothing to report on the design for the cafeteria. It is his hope that we can report more on this next month. 6. Motion by Gene Nocera and seconded by Philip Pessina to Adjourn the meeting at 7:59pm. All those in favor: Gene Nocera, Jeanette Blackwell, Philip Pessina, John Giuliano, Richard Pelletier, Steven Zarger, Sheila Daniels, John Phillips. Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully Submitted, Erin Thazhampallath Recording Secretary