MEEKER I No remodel or renovation project happens without at least one unexpected surprise. In the case of the renovation at Meeker High School, the auxiliary gym is the source of one of those surprises. According to Superintendent Chris Selle, as contractors got into the auxiliary gym, they discovered the walls “were were not built as designed.”
“What you see on both the interior and exterior of the walls is CMU and brick veneer, respectively,” Selle said via email. “In between the veneers are structural CMU columns. Those columns were designed to be filled with grout and rebar. Some have grout and rebar, some just have grout, but most of the columns have neither. Because of this, the structure will not handle lateral/shear loading it was designed to withstand.”
The columns will need to be reinforced to handle the loads they were designed to handle. “The solution we are moving forward with is relatively intrusive and complex, but allows construction to stay on schedule,” Selle said. The added cost of the repairs is between $1-1.5 million.
“This is the only significant unforeseen condition we have come across. As such, we had a healthy contingency in our budget that will be used to absorb cost increase. We knew we would run into something unforeseen as part of a remodel, which is why we budgeted for a strong contingency. As mentioned, it will also allow us to stay on schedule,” Selle said.
The renovation project is still “in good shape” from a schedule and a cost standpoint, Selle said.
