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11/22/2016 12:00 PMAfter years of planning and construction, the Guilford High School Building Committee (GHSBC) is wrapping up final payments and project details for the new Guilford High School (GHS). With little left to complete, the Board of Selectmen (BOS) is expected to dissolve the committee this winter.
The new GHS opened in September 2015 after construction began in June 2013 with a budget of $92,220,800. At a BOS meeting on Nov. 7, GHSBC member Bill Mulligan confirmed the project will come in close to $2 million under budget.
“We had a hard cap of $92.2 million,” he said. “The projected final spend for the project will be at $90.4 million…The committee had always targeted a spend of $91.2 million and we came in a little shy of that.”
The projected final cost of $90.4 million includes the synthetic turf field, any costs left to pay out, interim financing, and audit costs. Mulligan said there are a few things left to do, like modifying the exterior light fixtures and a few plantings, but the project will not be officially completed until the state signs off.
“This project doesn’t truly wrap up until the state completes their audit, which truthfully could be years from now,” he said. “It is going to take a while.”
The audit will determine the final reimbursement from the state. To date, Mulligan said the project has received $20 million from the state.
“We expect that there is going to be a bit more that we should receive—somewhere in the neighborhood of $4.5 million,” he said.
Thus far the town has financed $56.7 million for the project in long-term financing and an additional $7 million in short-term financing, according to Mulligan. While bringing the project in under budget was important to the committee, he said the committee focused on bringing the project in on time with as little disruption to students as possible.
“We wanted to make sure we minimized impact on academics,” he said. GHS Principal “Rick Misenti and [Superintendent of Schools] Dr. Paul Freeman were fabulous in making sure the schedules were properly coordinated against academics and that there was minimal disruption to testing or study time. I can’t emphasize enough that the collaboration between all parties was truly phenomenal.”
The new school is equipped with accessible technology, an interactive media center, Internet cafés, breakout spaces, larger classrooms, and more flexible workspaces. Mulligan said staff and students are pleased with the new building.
“It is a very successful project, on time and under budget,” he said. “I think the Board of Education is thrilled with the quality of the project, and we have already heard from the students and faculty that the educational experience is just phenomenal. We thank the town and taxpayers for approving this project.”
First Selectman Joe Mazza thanked the committee for its work and said he was pleased with the final product.
“It is probably one of the best high schools in the state,” he said. “Guilford has a phenomenal group of volunteers in this town and this was all done with volunteer help. You brought it in on time and under budget—which warms my heart—and I think the taxpayers have a lot to be proud of.”
The new synthetic turf field, which was installed this fall, is nearly ready for use pending final inspections. The GHSBC has one more meeting scheduled this year on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. at the GHS library, according to GHSBC member Mary Beeman.
“We intend to wrap up the project this winter, pay the final bills, and hand over the balance of the work to the superintendent and operations director to complete some exterior lighting adjustments and obtain the state reimbursement,” she said.