Despite uncovering some unanticipated bumps in the road, Phase I work on the Walsh Intermediate School expansion-renovation project is progressing at a satisfactory pace, project team leaders report.

The project's construction manager, Christopher Toussaint of Fusco Construction (New Haven) reviewed the job's progress with the Board of Education (BOE) at its November full board meeting. Toussaint was joined by project team members architect Michael LoSasso, AIA of Antinozzi Associates (Bridgeport) and Matt Byrnes-Jacobsen, project manager, Colliers International (New Haven).

Phase I construction began in June on the $88.2 million WIS renovation/expansion project, of which $30 million will be reimbursed by the state.

Phase I plans included demolishing the former Industrial Arts area of the existing building in order to construct a new, three-story addition connected to the east side of the remaining WIS building.

Demolition began June 14, a day after school closed for the summer. By early November, the project reached the milestone point of industrial steel arriving and beginning to rise. On Nov. 14, Toussaint said work is on schedule to meet the project's targeted January 1, 2020 new building "take over" date. If all goes according to schedule, plans call for completing the new addition's fit-ups by December 2019 and moving students over to begin using the new school facility in January 2020. At that point, Phase Two renovations, which will incorporate renovation upgrades and changes to the remaining WIS school building, would begin. The entire expansion/renovation project is scheduled to be completed by July 30, 2021.

Phase One construction work on the new building addition is on schedule to be completed in November of 2019, said Toussaint, speaking to the BOE on Nov. 14.

"We're targeting completion and turn-over of this building one year from now [so] by the time 2020 comes, the building will be complete and occupied," said Toussaint.

Toussaint gave the BOE a review of the project work from Day One in June, which also involved creating new parking areas, bus lanes, and parent drop off areas at the front and west sides of the school, located at 185 Damascus Road. By late June, the gutted Industrial Arts section of the building was removed, following by some initial foundation digging at the site, where the project hit a temporary snag.

"One of the first areas we dug, we found some utilities not anticipated to be there," explained Toussaint.

As the unanticipated utility feeds were not mapped out, the team needed to implement a careful review, together with design team input, which led to the decision to "...go through and methodically search for 'dinosaur bones,'" said Toussaint.

Once all of the "bones" of the underground conduits were uncovered, they had to be traced to determine origin and use. Toussaint said some of the located pipes turned out to be inactive, but some others were connected to systems that were "critical to maintain," such as those feeding fire alarm systems. He thanked the BOE and the district facilities team and school administration for assisting with the effort.

Once all of the conduit routes were discovered and determined, excavation work got underway to allow for the placement of new footings and foundation permiter forms. New underground utilities and sanitary sewers installations were also made. The footings and forms were then filled with pumped concrete. Toussaint noted LoSasso worked closely with the construction team to ensure continuity of the design's use of some architectural exposed concrete for structural columns.

"On this job, we have some architectural exposed concrete for structural columns exposed on ground floor to outside elements [which] rise up through the second and third floor into media center [and] carry same appearance all the way through," explained Toussaint.

Another unanticipated issue were some traffic problems which arose during the first days of the new school year in September, despite the project team's and the district's work to pre-empt problems with bus company test runs, staff and faculty practice runs, and notification of new drop-off and pick up procedures provided for parents and students. To assist the district in making a fix, some additional directional signs were added at the school's new entryways and driveways, said Toussaint.

Construction work continued as the school year got  underway. Toussaint said another milestone, the first shipment of many tons of industrial steel, arrived at the site on Friday, November 9. Early in the next week, the construction crane was raised to lift the steel into place.

"I think it's the tallest marker in Branford right now," said Toussaint, adding the lighted red beacon at the crane's tip was required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Steel installation got underway during the week of November 11, including a "good day" of seven steel columns installed on November 14, said Toussaint.

Except for unanticipated weather, the project team is targeting a "topping off" ceremony of Phase I steel installation sometime in late December, 2018, said Toussaint.

"It's a traditional construction mile marker meaning the steel of the building is complete," said Toussaint, adding one of the traditions, for construction workers, includes placing a Christmas tree atop the final beam set in place.

Toussaint also noted the project team will be working with Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez and the WIS administrative team to hopefully include some student participation in a topping off ceremony.

The project team's Nov. 14 presentation of Phase I work from June - November 2018 can be viewed as part of the BOE's archive of live-stream full board meetings appearing on the Branford Public Schools website here