September 18, 2023

Dear Burlington Community, 

If you’ve passed by Institute Drive or have been following us on social media, you know the demolition of A, and B buildings is complete, C and D are down to their foundations, and S.D. Ireland has moved into the footprint of A and B to begin site work for the new building. While we still have a few months before we begin to talk about laying foundations, this is a big deal as it signifies a shift in the project from ‘cleanup’ to  ‘construction’. 

As you may recall, this summer the State of Vermont voted to award BSD $16m for environmental clean-up efforts. We are also well positioned to receive at least $1m from our Federal Delegation to support the Stormwater portion of the project (see below) and we continue to seek additional funding; donations continue to come in support of the project, we will be advocating for State funding for our regional technical center this fall, and our lawsuit against Monsanto is still moving it’s way through the legal system. 

This work to secure funding is particularly important as we begin to review the final bid package for the project including the final Guaranteed Maximum Price from our construction manager, Whiting-Turner (WT). Known as “GMP 3”, this estimate is the largest of all of our previous estimates, as it includes the bulk of the construction costs. WT put together a GMP estimate by asking hundreds of subcontractors to bid on different pieces of the project.  

Last week, WT submitted a final GMP to us in the amount of $161.7 million and the board is planning to discuss and vote on whether or not to approve the GMP at their next board meeting, Tuesday, September 19. 

The final GMP is about $5m lower than the draft GMP that WT submitted earlier this month but is still about $15m higher than estimated in May 2023. The major difference between the two is that this final GMP identifies about $4m of non-programmatic changes that will be cost savings to the project. 

Our project consultants at White + Burke have used the final GMP number and factored in increases from this summer’s discovery of additional asbestos contamination, and updated contingency numbers to produce a BHS/BTC Project Cost Update memo with recommended options to move forward. As noted in their memo to the board, the total project cost is projected to be about $203.8 M. 

The good news is that because of the work we have done to bring funding to the project, the updated project cost shows the District with a $3.2 M funding cushion while maintaining $9.7M in contingency funds. This means that even though the project cost is higher than initially thought, we are in a position to move forward with this project without asking taxpayers for any additional funds. 

The board is set to vote on a direction forward at the September 19 board meeting and I’ll be sure to communicate the results of that meeting and let you know of our next steps. 

In partnership,
Tom

Updated Schedule – WT’s Final GMP also provides a very basic schedule update. The updated schedule assumes a worst-case scenario Substantial Completion date of April 26th, 2026, and a move-in-ready date of July 10th, 2026. While this is later than I had hoped for, I believe that being able to move into this building before the start of the 2026/27 school year is critical and I am glad to see this is still possible after the unanticipated setbacks the project has faced from the Asbestos findings on the foundation this summer. Still, our team will continue efforts to fast-track the schedule so that delays do not push us any further back. 

Funding – On July 31, we were notified by Senator Welch’s office that the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior & Environment has included $1,200,000 in congressionally directed spending for our BHS-BTC stormwater project. Both Senators Sanders and Welch, along with Representative Balint, have supported including funds for the project in the federal budget. While this is good news, this is only the next step in the process leading to receiving an award. Both the Senate and House need to agree on a budget, including the congressionally directed spending requests before the requests become law. This process usually concludes in the fall. 

Demolition – EnviroVantage is progressing with the demolition. C and D are now down to their foundations. EV started the removal of contaminated soils around buildings C and D and abatement work on E and F is almost complete. Demolition of the building F superstructure is anticipated to start in mid-September, with a plan to have all buildings down by mid-November. 

Zoning – The City issued the zoning permit amendment which will allow the project team to submit the full building permit application. We anticipate the application will be submitted in late September.

Test Furniture – A furniture test classroom has been set up in DtBHS! The test classroom will allow faculty, staff, and students to try out different types and styles of classroom furniture. A survey will be conducted to allow staff and students to provide feedback on the furniture types.

Environmental – Following the findings of the asbestos-containing glue daubs and waterproofing that was uncovered on the A building foundations, our environmental consultants Fuss and O’Neill have been testing those same materials as they become exposed on the rest of the buildings. As we moved into the demo of B building, one of the test results from the waterproofing on the east foundation of B building also came back as contaminated with PCBs. This required additional testing of the soil adjacent to the foundation where PCBs were also found. We received approval from the EPA to be able to continue removal of the B building foundation (which has long since been completed), but additional testing to the soils adjacent to the east side of B building was required to determine the depth and extent of the contamination for the soil removal and disposal. 

5/31/23

Dear BSD Community, 

It has been a while since we’ve written an update solely focused on the progress of BHS/BTC 2025… thanks for your patience! Since November, a lot has happened, and below you’ll find a number of updates. The most obvious to those traveling on North Avenue in the past week is that demolition has begun on the old campus on Institute Road. The hardworking team at EnviroVantage will soon have “A” building down completely, at which point they will begin the time-consuming process of sorting the materials for proper disposal. You can find photos of the work in the post linked above, or on the revamped BHS/BTC 2025 webpage which also contains project documents, information included in previous Community Updates, and more. 

My hope is that you’ll take a few minutes to go through the new webpage and this update to learn more about where we are in the process and what is coming next. If you have questions about the project after going through this email, please feel free to send an email to superintendent@bsdvt.org with questions or concerns. 

This is an exciting phase of the project that has brought optimism to many of our elementary school students and families as they drive by the site. It’s also a reflection of the commitment our community has made to education in the Queen City. Thank you for your continued support, and please know we continue to work hard to bring funding to the project as well, which you will see below!

Tom

State Support – Thanks to Vermont legislators, Burlington citizens should be getting substantial support from the State of Vermont next year. The budget passed by the Vermont legislature earlier this month includes a $16 million grant to support remediation and demolition work happening onsite at BHS/BTC 2025. The one caveat is that Budget Conferees made a last-minute decision to put language in the budget that requires us to pay back the PCB grant IF we are successful with the lawsuit against Monsanto (more on that below); we hope to work to remove/amend this language in future years. Still, the grant is a large appropriation for a single entity and a great win for Burlington taxpayers as it means we could end up borrowing less than the $165 million approved by voters in November. While passed by the legislature, we are hoping Governor Scott will sign the bill to make it official. 

ESSER Funding Update – As you may remember, we had been planning to use $10 million in ESSER funds to support the BHS/BTC 2025 project. At the same time, there are real needs at IAA that we have been planning to address, including heating, ventilation, and cooling system replacement; lighting improvements; upgraded electrical and fire alarm systems; and solar panel installation. After working on both projects, we would like to change the funding sources for the two projects because we believe using the federal dollars for IAA better aligns with the goals of that funding. Using ESSER for IAA will free up other capital funds to support the BHS/BTC project, and we don’t anticipate this causing any additional financial hurdles for the new building. We are seeking stakeholder input on this revision to our ESSER plan, and invite your feedback. Please join us tonight, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, from 5:15 to 6:00 pm at IAA for a Community Input Session on these changes. You can also provide feedback online at the bottom of our COVID-19 Recovery Form webpage. 

Timeline – In April, I notified the board that our BHS/BTC 2025 project manager is anticipating a later completion date than initially hoped for. As of now, we are projecting a move into the building in December 2025, with classes starting at the new school in January 2026! I will continue to do what I can to push our teams for a fast project, including authorizing pre-bid packages earlier in the process to allow for greater lead time for the procurement of building materials. The next substantial timeline update should happen in September. 

Design Process  – After significant collaboration, input, and refinement based on our design principles and stakeholder participation, the design team has completed the design of the major elements of the project. While some details remain to be worked out, we are at the point now where the feedback cycle is complete and the team is finalizing the drawings. This work is the culmination of more than 18 months of working closely with BSD leaders, faculty and staff, students, steering committees, and other community stakeholders to design a 21st-century, state-of-the-art high school and technical center. The final design specifications will be used to prepare the bid document package for the remainder of the project. The final bid recommendation will be presented to the board for approval in early September. Thank you to everyone who contributed ideas and feedback. You have made this a better building for generations of students!

Cost Estimate Our cost estimators, Whiting-Turner (WT) and PM&C are preparing an updated cost estimate that will be shared publicly at the June 6 school board meeting. 

Permits – The building permit for ground improvements and foundation work was issued by the City last week! This permit allows Whiting-Turning to begin on-site mobilization and construction of foundations and related ground improvements as soon as the demolition of  A building is complete.

“B” Building Demolition – Once “A” building is down, EnviroVantage crews will move inside of “B” building to begin working on asbestos and other hazardous waste abatement strategies. This will happen as the rubble from “A” building is sorted and disposed of appropriately. 

Lawsuit – Our lawsuit against Monsanto to recover PCB-related costs (including the cost of the new high school) is still working its way through federal court. Monsanto has asked the federal court to dismiss the lawsuit. The court has not yet issued a decision on Monsanto’s request, which the District opposed. In the meantime, we have provided a substantial amount of information on the original BHS building to Monsanto, and are requesting information from Monsanto on PCBs. This exchange of information is part of the trial preparation process—one that could take years. 

Corrective Action Plan – As part of demolition work, we are required to have a Corrective Action Plan to ensure we meet environmental safety standards. This plan has been approved by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and can be found on the BHS/BTC 2025 website. Representatives from DEC are on-site and in communication with our team and project managers regularly, and we have retained the services of environmental consultants who are on site everyday monitoring demolition. EnviroVantage also has a superintendent on site, who is responsible for their worker’s safety, and of course, OSHA is the body that regulates construction sites. 

Dust – One thing we’ve been asked about a few times is the possibility of dust from the building getting into the air. I want to assure you that we are working in different ways to ensure this isn’t the case. First, throughout demolition, water cannons are being used to keep the site wet, which reduces dust. The demolition team is also working to bring the building down in a deliberate manner that reduces dust. All of this work is monitored by environmental consultants who are on site every day, and the State of Vermont has set up dust monitoring equipment that allows us to monitor the air and make adjustments in real time, if necessary. (Much of this, and more, is documented in our Corrective Action Plan mentioned above.) If you DO see dust, it will likely be from work on the eastern part of the site, nearer to North Ave. Here, away from the demolition, Whiting-Turner has begun site work and is laying down stone as a base layer. This is a common and safe material, but it can get dusty when dumped from bucket loaders and dump trucks! 

Fundraiser – BACK by popular demand, BHS Retired Teachers are holding another fundraiser on July 16 at 1 PM at Asian Bistro in Winooski. The event will feature a silent auction with jewelry, pottery, gift certificates to Claussens and Asian Bistro, and more. Retired BEA President Terry Buehner will perform a one-act play based on the life of Alla Fitzgerald Smith, wife of the first principal at Institute Road, Dutch Smith. Attendees will also have a chance to bid to hear music from retired performers. FREE food and cash bar will be available… you won’t want to miss this!

Crews Began Taking Down “A” Building Today

Burlington is one step closer to a new high school and technical center. Today (Monday, May 22), demolition began on the first of six buildings on the sprawling campus of the former high school and technical center. EnviroVantage, the company overseeing demolition, has been working tirelessly for months, marking, removing, abating asbestos, and creating remediation plans for contaminated building materials. On Friday, the company received final air clearances for asbestos, meaning the building was ready for exterior demolition to begin. 

Demolition Day Photos and Video

Pre-demolition Interior Photos

“This is obviously a huge step forward for our project,” said Burlington School District (BSD) Superintendent Flanagan. “I want to thank the citizens of Burlington for supporting this project, first and foremost. I also want to thank EnviroVantage, our environmental consultants Fuss & O’Neill, PCI Capital Project Consulting, and our property services team for getting us here today. It has taken an enormous amount of collaboration and partnership put us in the right position to continue this project.” 

Flanagan noted that BSD teams worked closely with EnviroVantage to clean out the buildings, salvaging hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process. “Because we were able to work so closely together, we were able to salvage things like the bleachers in the gym and the auditorium seats which will eventually go to Hunt Middle School. We also were able to give older machinery that was in good operating condition to other school districts in the state who needed that equipment. 

Flanagan also noted through the District’s environmental Corrective Action Plan, dust mitigation measures will be underway throughout the project, with dust monitoring devices spread throughout the campus to ensure chemicals and contaminants are controlled. As demolition continues on “A” building, EnviroVantage will now begin to focus on cleaning out and remediating the campus’ “B” building, the next portion slated for demolition. 

BSD expects the project’s construction manager Whiting-Turning to begin construction this July while EnviroVantage continues demolition, remediation, and removal of material. The District expects substantial completion of the project to be done in November of 2025, with students and staff slated to begin in the new building in January of 2026, though as with any project this size and scope, those dates are subject to change.

To keep the community updated on the project, the District recently launched a refreshed website with project information, photos, and more: www.bsdvt.org/bhs-btc-2025.