Change orders for new high school approved

More money to go to roofing materials

The cost of construction changes for the new Peters Township High School aren’t necessarily through the roof. But they’re for the roof.

The school’s board of directors Tuesday were presented with change orders for the project off East McMurray Road amounting to $44,194 for new roofing materials on three high curved roofs on the gymnasium, auditorium and natatorium.

The expenditure to Nello Construction was approved by a vote of 7-2.

“There was a design error,” said board member Rebecca Bowman, who voted against the change order, saying that the district’s architect knew that the three areas proposed a design challenge in the first place.

“I would have expected there to be zippo errors on this,” Ms. Bowman said.

Board member Jamison Hardy also voted against the change order.

“I strongly object to this one,” he said. “This is unnecessary in my opinion,” he said of the design error.

Board members Minna Allison, Lisa Anderson, Rolf Briegel, Ronald Dunleavy, Jennifer Grossman, Thomas McMurray and Daniel Taylor voted in favor of the change order.

“I really think it’s necessary to keep moving on this project,” Mr. Dunleavy said of why he voted in favor of the change order. “The change order is for Nello, and Nello had nothing to do with the design.”

Additionally, the board approved a $39,076 change order to A. Liberoni to remove a coal seam along the road area on the northern side of the new high school property and another $14,948 for additional undercutting of coal and poor soil under the roadways and parking lots.

Roshelle Fennell, of Reynolds Construction, the district’s construction management firm, updated the board on the progress of the new building, which is to open during the 2020-21 school year.

She said the plumbing contractor has installed the main gas line to the building, and permanent electrical service to the building has been activated.

Crews are working on the brick exterior around the academic wing of the school and finishing drywall inside. Painting has begun in the academic wing, and light fixtures will soon be installed.

Steel has begun to be erected in the administration area, and rough-ins have been installed in the kitchen/cafeteria area as well as the adaptive gymnasium area. In the natatorium, structural steel has been set and the swimming pool has arrived onsite.