LOWELL – The Lowell School Building Committee (SBC) convened on November 20, 2025, confirming a quorum, and focused heavily on construction milestones, financial stability, and urgent safety issues regarding newly installed door hardware. The meeting established the official student return date for the newly renovated section of the 1922 building as January 5th, 2026.

Construction Milestones and Phase 3 Turnover

Presentations from Suffolk and Skanska’s Jim Dowd detailed the near completion of Phase 3 of the project and the preparations for the student move happening during the winter break.

Phase 3 Progress and Turnover: Phase 3 completion is approaching, focusing on the east side of the canal, encompassing the north portion of the 1922 building and the auditorium. Progress photos illustrated:

• Typical classrooms are receiving furniture, with deliveries starting the Monday of the meeting week, as commissioning and testing wrap up.
• New linoleum floors in corridors are having protection removed and are undergoing cleaning.
• Gang bathrooms have installed toilet fixtures and accessories.
• The basement flooring is finished and protected, though some overhead construction remains.
• Work at the main north entry off French Street has begun with concrete pours, and stairs and ramps will start in the following week.

Upcoming Schedule: Following the turnover of Phase 3, Phase 4 construction is scheduled to commence in January. While the student hard open date is January 5th, 2026, the project team will work to accommodate the administration’s request to allow teachers earlier access (potentially January 2nd or 3rd) to prepare classrooms, provided the certificate of occupancy is received.

Contingency Funding and Budget Update

Dowd reported that the current remaining contingency stands at $2 million. However, significant financial backing is underway to increase that reserve.

The project team successfully presented a request for $39.85 million in additional funding, which went before the City Council on Tuesday evening (prior to the meeting). This amount includes $14.75 million designated for additional contingency. Should these funds be approved by the City Council during the second vote scheduled for December 2nd, the total remaining contingency would rise to $16.75 million.

To date, the total reimbursement received from the MSBA is $207 million. Total project invoicing through the end of October reached $36 million.

Addressing Safety and Hardware Failures

A major point of contention centered on ongoing safety issues related to the brand new facilities, particularly door hardware and the main elevator.

Door Hardware Concerns: Concerns were raised by committee members regarding new doors not locking correctly, creating a safety issue where schools are “easy to get into”. This problem has been an ongoing situation despite the doors being brand new.

• Suffolk and Perkins Eastman (PE) are preparing a formal answer to a motion filed by Councilor Gitschier concerning this matter.
• Suffolk is auditing the installations, working with two different trade partners (for interior and exterior doors), to confirm installation meets manufacturer guidelines and that the hardware matches specifications.
• PE is arranging a site visit from the hardware manufacturer. Although this specific hardware has required “tuning and adjustments” in past school installations, the current situation requires seeking a “more permanent solution”.

The situation with the door hardware is much like a critical security system that has been installed with faulty keypads; while the structure around it is brand new, the core function necessary for safety is consistently failing, forcing the project team to look beyond simple fixes toward a complete operational overhaul.

Elevator and Loading Dock Issues: The main elevator near the gymnasium is again experiencing issues, reportedly due to the door slamming, suggesting it might be too sensitive.

Furthermore, the configuration of the two heavy-duty exterior doors for the loading dock area poses a problem because they are often left open by users needing to drive machinery in and out. The possibility of installing auto openers was discussed, although it was noted that these systems are typically avoided because they introduce additional maintenance burdens for the school.

Auditorium and Specialized Systems

The physical construction of the auditorium is nearing completion, with the installation of the finished barrel ceilings, new ceilings, and finished lighting. The installation of the new projector screen and staging details are also underway.

However, the auditorium will not be ready for occupancy immediately after the Phase 3 turnover. The physical work (flooring, seats, carpet, finishes) is scheduled to be completed, but the space will require two months (January and February) for the commissioning and fine-tuning of specialized audiovisual systems. The earliest the auditorium will be occupiable is March 1st.

Workforce Metrics

In a positive development, the project is significantly exceeding its goal for minority workforce participation, reporting just under 27% participation against a 15% goal. However, the female workforce participation remains under goal, currently at 5.2% against a 6.9% goal, necessitating “deliberate efforts” and follow-up with trade partners to increase those numbers.

SBC Meeting Schedule

Due to the holidays and the winter break move, the SBC voted to postpone the regularly scheduled December 18th meeting. The next scheduled School Building Committee meeting is set for January 22nd, 2026, at 6 PM. Communication between the project team and administration will be stepped up to ensure a smooth transition during the move.