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RINGWOOD - Change orders could delay Ryerson project
(by Teresa Edmond - Staff Writer - August 27, 2008)
RINGWOOD - School officials have raised the prospect that changes ordered to the Martin J. Ryerson Middle School rooftop replacement will delay completion of the project. But the district has not given up on its goal of finishing the work before Sept. 4, the first day of the new school year, Superintendent Patrick Martin said.
To speed things up as much as possible, the Board of Education has expedited the approval of the change orders instead of waiting until next month’s meeting.
The board authorized district officials to proceed with completing the change orders of replacing the rooftop lighting and other features at its Aug. 18 meeting. A change order deals with unexpected expenses added to a project after the original estimates.
“It’s real important to do the job right,” said Superintendent Martin. “We want this to last 30 years. If it’d take some more days to finish it, then it’s worth it.”
If the project goes into the school year, the workers’ schedule will change, Martin noted. Once school is open, they would work after 4 p.m. and on weekends so they won’t conflict with student use of the building.
The three change orders would replace the roof’s drains for about $10,700, rooftop metal leakage guards for around $50,000, and the lighting fixtures for roughly $19,000.
The Board of Education and the Wayne architectural firm DiCara and Rubino discussed the three change orders the district would have to take care of to move along the Ryerson roof replacement project. The school board is expected to give its final approval of the change orders at a meeting next month.
“There are some things you uncover when you uncover a roof, and these are the things we have come upon,” said James Mallen, the interim school board business administrator.
Last April, voters gave the green light to the $1.3 million roof project, which would address the roof’s leaking and overall shabby condition. In 1990, the district had to spray foam on Ryerson School’s roof to repair it. The school was first built in 1970.
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