Belmonte job modifications presented

SAUGUS – Jim Dowd, project manager for Skanska Builders, presented a long list of possible cuts and modifications to the Belmonte Middle School repair project at Monday?s Belmonte Building Committee meeting, two weeks after he announced the project was $3 million over budget.Some of the cost-saving proposals include leaving the main staircase intact ($135,000), reducing painting to just the classrooms and hallways ($162,000), replacing vinyl tiles in just the hallways and not the classrooms ($500,000), eliminating automatic controls to the heating and air conditioning systems ($300,000) and replacing lighting in the classrooms and hallways only ($327,000).?The design development drawings were overzealous,” said Dowd. “We had two marathon value management meetings and looked at everything in the project ? We asked, ?Why,? with everything in the project.”In all, the recommendations bring the cost of the project from $19.1 million to a little more than $16 million, leaving around $300,000 more that needs to be trimmed, which could come from modifications to the building facade.?We?re not really cutting, we?re re-evaluating how things are going to be developed and scaling that back a little bit,” said Daniel Tavares, senior project manager for Skanska. “We were making sure that we weren?t taking anything away that would compromise the quality.”Possible changes to the facade include eliminating metal paneling on the exterior gym walls, which would save money, but adversely affect the building?s R-value, or energy efficiency.Asbestos abatement was also added to the project after being taken out previously because the Massachusetts School Building Authority would not reimburse the cost. The committee discussed the possibility of removing this facet of the project once again in favor of the full facade, and going before Town Meeting to request additional funds for asbestos abatement.The committee will meet again on Monday at 4 p.m. to discuss these changes further in order to give final approval.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].