New Middle School Siding Could Cost $6.3M; Original Work Blamed For Problems With Shingles, Trim

CHATHAM – The architects hired to evaluate the siding, windows and roof of the Monomoy Regional Middle School were, at first glance, impressed by the attractiveness of the cedar shingles and classic white trim. It was only when they got closer that they could see the trouble.

 Water infiltration, made worse by the way materials were installed years ago, now means that all of the siding and trim needs replacement at a potential cost of $6.3 million.

 The project does not come as a surprise to Chatham and Harwich, the two towns that make up the school district, since parts of the building envelope are nearing the end of their design life now. Molly Harris of Raymond Design Associates said her firm and other experts examined the outside of the building, finding evidence of lichen growth and stained shingles, with severe rot that exposed the plywood substrate in some areas. 

 “We have evidence of water infiltration,” she said. A series of test cuts were made in the building, showing that flashing had not been installed around some windows, and the vapor barrier was missing from some areas or improperly sealed in other spots, apparently when the siding was installed in 1997.

 “Essentially, that is, we believe, the primary source of this leaking,” Harris said. The water not only damaged the siding, trim and substrate, but caused damage to the insulation in the walls in some places and rusted the steel framing that makes up the exterior walls. There was also evidence of rodent droppings in some of the breached walls along with rot in some interior window sills and stools. 

 Architect Steve Watchorn said his firm hired a professional cost estimator who projected base construction costs of about $4.84 million, with a total project cost of $6.3 million including all other expenses and a generous contingency. The extent of the repairs needed to the sheathing won’t be known until the siding is all removed, he noted. “We don’t have X-ray vision,” so a final figure won’t be clear until the walls are opened, he said. 

 The next step is a detailed design for the repairs with specifications that allow the project to go out to bid. If voters in both towns approve funding at a spring town meeting, construction could begin as early as June, Harris said.

 “This is not a ‘summer slammer.’ You can’t get this done just over the summer,” Watchorn said. Some work would need to be done during the school year, working mainly outside school hours. “We obviously don’t want to be disturbing, with noise, the educational process going on inside,” he said. It would be unwise to try and spread the project over time, the consultants said.

 “Based on our test cuts and our observations, the problems are so systemic — and they are rooted in the original construction — that it doesn’t make a lot of sense for the district, cost-wise, to try and break that up and do a multi-year project,” Harris said.

 Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter said the work in 1997 was carried out by now-defunct Eastern Contractors of Framingham; he said it appears the project was not overseen by an owner’s project manager. The re-siding project would use synthetic trim that will not rot and properly installed vapor barriers, “and the project would have an [owner’s project manager] to oversee the district’s and taxpayers’ interests,” he said.

 This week, school officials also expect to learn whether the Massachusetts School Building Authority will be contributing funds to help the district replace the building’s roof, which is in serviceable condition but is nearing the end of its lifespan. 

 “Replacing the roof and siding would secure the exterior envelope of a great middle school building and have it ready for the next 30-plus years of operation,” Carpenter said.

 In anticipation of the projects, the school committee has opted to establish a middle school building committee, modeled after the one that oversaw construction of the new high school in 2014. The district is looking for community members with expertise in construction design or financing to volunteer to serve on the committee. Interested candidates can contact him directly, Carpenter said.