With subcontracts awarded for referendum renovations at Brookfield East and Central high schools, the project is on budget and on schedule, officials said.
Rob Stieg, principal at Boldt Consulting Services, said construction manager CG Schmidt has diligently tracked and scheduled material delivery to efficiently schedule workers and avoid overstaffing. Stieg said this technique, called lean project delivery, is largely responsible for the project's success so far.
"I think it's a process that's working and it's paying dividends right now," he said.
Work at East is even slightly ahead of schedule, Stieg said, meaning more work will be done by September than initially thought.
Currently, crews are doing roofing and ductwork and beginning brickwork and other external detailing. Concrete floors have been poured in the new gymnasiums at both schools. When the concrete has finished curing, wood floors will be installed.
Stieg said the project's progress has been aided by good weather.
Savings could grow
School Board members April 28 voted to approve a final $45.7 million in subcontractor bids for the two high schools. The board previously approved $9.4 million in bids.
Currently, the total price tag for East is about $27.7 million. Central bids cost $27.4 million. These costs include $800,000 contingency budgets for each school.
Stieg said costs may still improve further.
"All of these subcontractors have committed that they will work with us to find better ways to do things that could save money and not compromise quality," he said.
Any extra money, along with unused contingency funds, could be used on project enhancements. For example, the band room at Central has built-in cement risers that render the room mostly inaccessible to the disabled. Removing the risers is estimated to cost $240,000, which could be found in construction cost savings.
School Board members will determine how any extra money gets spent as the project progresses. Board member Glen Allgaier said officials will need to carefully prioritize enhancements.
"I think we're charged by our electorate … to be very careful about defining what needs are versus what wants are," Allgaier said.
Unforeseen costs, too
Some money has already been saved, but there have also been unforeseen costs, Stieg said. In total, about $2.1 million in changes have been made to construction plans since voters approved funding for the project in April 2008.
For example, workers were able to reuse more mechanical equipment than they initially thought, saving about $1.3 million. However, electrical equipment proved less reusable, costing about $1.3 million more than expected.
Despite these shifts, Stieg said the project is on budget.
Isral DeBruin can be reached at (262) 446-6608.
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