The School Board is expected to vote to transfer $3.8 million from other ACPS projects that have been completed or adjusted in timeline and scope to finalize funding for the Patrick Henry School Project at its meeting on Monday.
The funding will cover the cost of an additional 17,000 square feet added to the project from the original Site Specific Program Document to allow for increased classroom space. It will also cover the adjustments to the site needed to avoid conflicts with power lines and to build retaining walls at the rear of the building adjacent to the hill. These adjustments reduce the need for additional floors to be added to the school near North Latham Street and allow for direct access to the school from the athletic fields. The additional funds will also assist the project team in countering the rise in inflation since project estimates were first projected four and a half years ago.
The new Patrick Henry School is being built using a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) contract, which is a fixed sum covering all costs including future unforeseen issues that may arise during construction. The project has been value engineered to keep costs as low as possible. Aspects of the Patrick Henry Project have been adjusted as part of the process of looking for economies that can be made without affecting the overall project. These include economies in electrical and mechanical systems, window styles, and masonry and materials to use for interior and exterior finishes.
We are confident that, together with the City, we have been as efficient as possible in all aspects of this project. We need to create a school and recreation center that serve the needs of both students and the wider Alexandria community for many years to come. It is essential that we get this right, so that Alexandria gets a building suited to the educational and recreational needs of the City in the future,” said Interim Chief Operating Officer Richard Jackson.
The original joint project plan between the City and Schools was put in place four and a half years ago. Staff from the City and ACPS has worked closely together to resolve site constraints and topographical issues that have arisen since the initial project plan was put in place. Both ACPS and the City have also worked to ensure the project is as efficient as possible while simultaneously matching the needs of both entities.
We are looking at ways to be efficient with the resources available. It is a balancing act. We have to make sure the value engineering makes sense with the project and that we are still creating a building that will last well into the future,” said Bill Brown of Moseley Architects, the architects for both the school and recreation center.
To prevent a delay in the project, work began in June under an ‘early release package’ to include earthworks, site demolition, utilities and the creation of retaining walls as the negotiations around the guaranteed maximum price continued.
The final total cost of the project is $61.8 million, of which $52.3 million is attributed to the new school and $9.5 million is attributed to the recreation center, including the artificial turf field.
Aerial view of the Schematic Design for the new Patrick Henry School and Recreation Center