Windermere School Project Running About $1 Million Under Budget

ELLINGTON, CT — The Windermere School renovation and expansion is 81.4 percent complete and is expected to finish about $1 million under budget, according to the latest update given to the Ellington Board of Education.

Board member Miriam Underwood reported on the project during the board's Sept. 23 meeting. The full project budget remains $74.6 million, with the state expected to cover about $52.22 million.

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The projected savings are primarily on the construction side. An August financial report showed a construction budget of $62.52 million and projected costs of about $61.34 million, leaving approximately $1.17 million in contingency funds and unspent allowances.

Project officials estimated that about $1 million would ultimately be returned to the town, according to the Aug. 11 Permanent Building Committee minutes.

The final amount will not be known until construction is finished, contracts are closed and the state completes its audit.

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The town can continue seeking state reimbursements until it reaches 85 percent of eligible project costs. The remaining 15 percent will be held until the work is complete and the state audit is finished.

As of July 31, Ellington had received about $35.39 million from the state and was awaiting another $3.5 million, according to the building committee report.

Punch-list work and corrections are continuing throughout the building. Project architect DRA is reviewing the work and directing contractors to repair or replace items that do not meet the project's standards.

The renovate-to-new project includes an addition and extensive work inside the existing school. It was designed in part to address a section of the building affected by pyrrhotite, the mineral associated with crumbling concrete foundations in northeastern Connecticut.

The state increased its reimbursement rate for the project from 55.36 percent to 70 percent. School officials previously estimated that the higher rate would save Ellington taxpayers more than $9 million.

For more Northern Connecticut news, follow Patch editor Jay Kenney.