Construction of Foster City school plods ahead

Such a schedule would put the school on track for construction at the beginning of 2019, according to the report from the meeting Tuesday, July 24, assuming all permits are issued on time, and delays are not forced by budget issues or poor weather.

But those ambitions must be tempered by the challenges posed amidst a difficult building environment across the Bay Area, as construction cost increases force tough decisions for school officials, Superintendent Joan Rosas said in a prepared statement.

“All new projects, regardless of whether they are publicly or privately owned and financed, have experienced cost increases,” she said. “The district’s four projects are no exception and the district’s Board of Trustees has had several discussions over the last year about cost increases and how to reduce the costs of the projects while providing the needed facilities and keeping the district’s commitment to the voters.”

For the Foster City school, most notable among the challenges is the deferred construction of a five-classroom wing on the east side of campus facing Beach Park Boulevard.

The deferral is a cost-cutting initiative adopted as part of the effort to address cost escalations, as trustees approved spending $73 million on the school, said district spokeswoman Amber Farinha in an email, up from the $61 million initially set aside for the project.

Changes to finishing materials on the campus multipurpose room and administrative building as well as removal or use of temporary shade structures are among the value engineering efforts sought by officials as well.

Financing for the project is provided through the $148 million Measure X bond, approved by voters in 2015 to building the new Foster City school, gyms across district middle schools and a new San Mateo elementary school, among other initiatives. Officials claimed the new Foster City school is necessary to offset enrollment hikes across the district, and the campus is expected to accommodate up to 460 students.

But now, construction cost increases driven by competition for similar projects across the Bay Area as well as demand spikes for labor and materials are forcing district officials to identify possible savings wherever possible.

As a result, “significant time was spent at various stages in the design process by architects, district staff and Board of Trustees to reduce costs wherever possible and determine other sources of revenue,” according to a district presentation.

An additional project challenge is the need to put in a new stoplight at the corner of Shell and Beach Park boulevards at the northeast corner of the campus.

The project is part of the effort by educators to assuage concerns from Foster City officials and residents regarding the traffic and parking congestion invited by construction of the new school. A memorandum of understanding between the district and city has been signed to lay groundwork for construction, but the plan permits are still being reviewed by a state agency.

Looking ahead, school officials remain hopeful the school will be ready at the launch of the 2020-21 school year. In the time between the start of construction and the first bell, enrollment boundaries will need to be determined.

Identifying which neighborhoods will be included in the enrollment area will involve outreach to prospective parents and the rest of the school community. A name for the new campus will be needed as well.

For her part, Farinha expressed her optimism for the project to continue moving ahead.

“We are excited to move into the next stages of this project,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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