Cost of building new Burlington High School going up
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - High construction costs are jacking up the price tag to build Burlington’s new high school. Now, the Burlington School Board needs to figure out how to make up the $20 million difference.
In the spring, it was estimated the cost of Burlington’s new high school would be around $190 million, but now leaders say it’s more likely it will cost about $210 million. The district says the increase is thanks to high construction costs.
However, the sticker shock has been lessened because the district recently secured $16 million from the state for PCB mitigation. The school shut down after unsafe levels of the cancer-causing chemical were found inside the old school building.
Now, the school board will work over the next two weeks to decide how to make up that $2 million funding gap.
“Construction costs are really high right now, higher than anyone is used to and not coming down. And so we have to work on balancing, making sure that we are able to deliver on a schedule that makes sense for our community. And also keep that cost to something that, that will, so that we don’t have to go back to voters to ask for more support which we do not feel like we will need to do,” said Tom Flanagan, the Burlington Schools superintendent.
The school board is meeting Tuesday night and will discuss the change in the guaranteed maximum price.
In two weeks, they will take action on how to make up the gap. Some proposed changes include making small changes to the new school plan like type of flooring or finishings to cut down on the costs.
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