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May 2022 Update

Manchester Community,

We are pleased to share with you the progress we have made on the building project. Much of this information was shared at the community meeting, but in case you were unable to attend or if you would enjoy even more detail, here is the recap from the February Panther Telegram Update until now. Our last update concluded with the information that after receiving the Notice of Intent from the OFCC, we are permitted to move forward into design development, the next phase of the building project, and the state will continue to contribute 44% of the applicable costs. Our biggest opponent in this project has become inflation and its effects on the project. I hope by the end of this update, you find that although we will have to adjust and rethink portions of the projects with no guarantees on the timeline, that aggressive adjustments to the timeline of the project are being attempted to combat inflation. At this time, we remain cautiously optimistic.

Knowing that the 2nd schematic design of the high school was now approved, but we would still need to come up with our 56% and any upgrades that we felt were essential to the project, we needed to continue to work on the following items: Cost sets for the renovation of the old high school into New Nolley, a place to play baseball for the next few years, a closer look at the rooms inside the New High School, and consider any idea that would produce savings to the project, and still remain true to the original goals of the project.

Before I give a compilation of the work accomplished since early February, I think it is important to understand the original timeline. As I understood the plan upon arriving this summer, that once the new high school was complete, then a year later the work on New Nolley would be completed allowing the students to start there the next school year, then the following year the work on the new stadium would occur and the demolition of Nolley. This timeline puts academics before athletics, which is the way it should be. However, in the following paragraphs you will read about the new timeline proposed to condense the timeline to combat inflation. Inflation erodes the buying power of the money. So, money now is worth more than money later. If we can finish the project sooner, we will pay less overall and the money we have will buy more than if we go with the original timeline.

After the February 7th meeting, we called the construction manager to see what work could be accomplished on New Nolley or the stadium portion of the project earlier. This conversation would lead to a February 23 meeting, where an accelerated timeline would be proposed along with the projected costs for various portions of the LFI part of the project.

February 18 - New High School Floor Plan Meetings - The architect team, Scott Ross, Rachel Willis and Shaun Morgan met for four hours to give feedback on each area of the building and how those areas would complement and work holistically. We also answered questions and approved adjustments. This work would then be shared with teachers and the teachers would meet with the architect team on March 1st and 3rd including getting feedback on room layouts and furniture decisions.

February 21 - The Hazardous Materials Consulting Service delivered their abatement estimates for the current high school building.

February 23 - Manchester Local Review and Cost Schedule - On this day, Shook Construction introduced their new timeline to accelerate the LFI portion of the project. At that time, they still believed that the construction of the new high school would begin in the fall of 2022 and would still open for the 24-25 school year, barring any unforeseen delays. In addition, it was proposed that we approach the renovation of “New Nolley” in 2 phases. During “Summer Slam in 2023” we would update the HVAC, boilers, electric, and some plumbing items. Then in the summer of 2024 finish the classroom renovations to make it ready for the elementary school students. In addition, it was proposed that we could start construction on the new stadium in the spring of 2023. This would interrupt the track season in the Spring of 2023, but the stadium field would be playable for football and soccer in the fall of 2024. The complete stadium project would not be done until later, since one cost savings idea that has been implemented is to renovate the library and part of the social studies complex in order to furnish locker rooms, restrooms, and concession stands to serve the stadium. This decision will not take away anything from the plan for New Nolley, but also know that space will still be needed for the high school in the 23-24 school year. It will be complicated and difficult for sure. Everyone must be prepared for an inconvenience as building actually begins.

February 26 - On this Saturday morning we met at the High School Library to again look at the plan for how to have home baseball games once construction begins. Many plans were previously discussed, but additional people were brought in to help confirm which plan was the best. After considering all the factors, cost, conditions, transportation, and feasibility, it was decided that Manchester Local Schools will expand Crown Field, by moving the fence back by removing the tree and mound of dirt in right field, expand the infield, and reconfigure the colors of the press box and dugouts to use this field for High School Baseball for the next few years. Just to be clear, the baseball team will still use the current field for this spring 22 baseball season.

February 28 - On this day, the trees behind the baseball stadium were cut in front of the marked boundaries as marked by Lewis Land. In addition, the Core Team Met. Shook shared the current lead times and how that would impact the project schedule completion dates. Planning and zoning submittal dates were presented - April 4th for submittal and May 12 for the meeting. Updated floor plans for the Manchester Innovative Learning Lab were examined and feedback was given. A first view of the ideas for how the field house may fit into the current media center was examined and feedback was given. FMD and Lewis Land scheduled to coordinate a conceptual layout for the turf field, track, lights and bleachers.

March 1 and 3 - On both of these dates our high school teachers met with the architects and discussed layout of the rooms and furniture options.

March 8 - Jen Rucker and Shaun Morgan received Oaks training. This is the system used in order to pay the construction bills.

March 16 - On this day the second meeting about the field house occurred, this concept improved upon the last drawing and additional feedback was given.

March 18 - Meeting concerning the potential delays to the timeline were discussed. One item causing potential delays is an item with long lead times and another is a problem with the necessary steps in reviewing for cost analysis.

March 21 - Core Team Met. We set additional meeting dates of 4/4 and 4/18. We heard the concern that the two items driving the schedule would push the opening of the building back to November of 2024. This news was difficult to hear. We spent much of the meeting discussing ways to bring that date back to the start of the year. Nothing is for certain, but we must remain realistic to the roadblock and challenges we face. We looked again at the proposed field house layout and looked at some proposed 3D models of what the building would look like.

March 30 - Mr. Ross and Mr. Morgan met with the architects to finalize the building layout after meeting with the teachers. We discussed a structural change and how that works best in the design and how that adjusts the stairs nearest the cafeteria. We also discussed the placement of the control panel.

April 4 - The core team met - this time we received good news that we would be able to order electrical equipment with long lead times during the early site package. This was so important because it brought the expected completion date back to a more palatable time frame of the start of the 24-25 school year. This is a good moment to be reminded that we are working hard to foresee problems and prevent them, but the reality is we are in an uncertain time with supply chain issues and construction work not hitting a slow-down anytime soon in this area and across the state.

April 12 - Three similar meetings occur this day to share with the staff and community the work that had transpired since our last community meeting. Following the staff’s regularly scheduled staff meetings and during a community meeting at 7pm, the board and administration shared the following items: 1. The outside renderings of what the new building would look like from all vantage points and how it would sit on the property.

2. The floor plan of the new high school, both the first and second floors. 3. The district’s plans to combat inflation by accelerating the timeline of project, introducing cost savings ideas, seeking alternative funding (i.e. grants and federal funds), and being intentionally strategic about the renovations until we can know the GMP, (guaranteed maximum price), of the new building. 4. The plans to continue playing baseball once we start building on the current baseball field. The meetings were intended to give the staff and community a functional summary of the work that has transpired between community updates.

April 14 - A table was set up at the Fine Arts Festival - the information shared at the community meeting was repeated as the community looked at the outside renderings and the first and second level floor plans.

April 18 - The core team met - lead times for items were discussed. We discussed the potential slow-down that another project in the state is experiencing. We realize the OFCC approval process may slow us down because this is the first time any school has received a NOI letter committing an additional 44% of unknown cost. We are doing all we can to make sure from the perspective of the architects, construction manager and the school that we will make it as streamlined as possible to avoid delays if possible. Also, on this day we confirmed the plan for control panel placement in the cafetorium, and the size of the basketball court. The high school staff and students gave feedback on furniture items on April 18 and 19th. We discussed priorities on the LFI portion of the project and confirmed that once the DD phase is submitted on May 9 that the LFI portion of the project will receive even more attention. The items discussed were to get an SD package to Shook by July for the LFI portion of the project.

I hope after reading this that you sense the project is moving forward and that we are being as transparent as possible with the community.

Feb. 18th, 2022 update:

Manchester Community,

Throughout the last year and a half, the core team has continued to meet at least bi-weekly to work on all aspects of the project. Our last update concluded with the information shared at our community meeting on December 2, 2021. At that meeting we informed the community that the project cost was coming in approximately 20%-25% over budget as we completed Schematic Design. Due to the projected cost increases in our design, we instructed the architects to redesign the building with a smaller footprint and low slope roofs. This portion of the project is now called Schematic Design 2. The following paragraphs focus on the major items that have occurred as we attempt to get the project from Schematic Design into Design Development.

December 6 - The core team met. By that next Monday the architects had produced a new concept of the building that was more compact. In the redesign of the building, many more academic classrooms were located on the second floor. One important item to be clear about is that the number of classrooms and the size of the classrooms did not change. Reductions in the number of mechanical rooms and the equipment needed in those rooms were some obvious savings in the cost of the project. The school team gave feedback and continued to do so throughout the two weeks between meetings. Our CMR, Shook Construction, in their initial look at the revised design, concluded that the new design certainly would cost less, but still felt that the project would be over budget.

December 9 - A meeting regarding the installation of a new well occurred. The recommended wells and size were discussed based on the redesign and expected water use.

December 20 - The core team met. The two most important items that occurred as a result of the meeting were that Karen Little, the OFCC Project Manager, noted that other schools were in the same stage in Schematic Design and were also over budget. Karen thought there would be a chance that OFCC funding decisions would have to occur with those higher up in the organization. In addition the architects confirmed with Bill Prenosil, an OFCC official, that indeed the building’s design was as simplified as possible without eliminating programming.

January 10 - The core team met. Shook led the team through an analysis of the cost savings comparing the first Schematic Design’s cost compared to the second design. There were cost savings in the redesign, however, due to inflationary materials and projected labor costs the second design was still 13% over budget. If a project is not on budget, then the project can not move forward to the next phase. This equates to around 3 million dollars of excess cost. Even more concerning was that we were at the earlier stages of the project. Manchester’s team was not comfortable with committing 3 million dollars of the LFI money (local funding, not co-funded) into the new building. Our LFI dollars are committed to the other parts of the project, including the renovation of the current high school to transform it into the new Nolley and to bring an athletic complex to the campus.

The Manchester team took action in the following ways to help with our budget shortfall. Our Board President, Joe Hercules, attended an event in which he was able to present our situation to Governor Dewine and Lt. Governor Husted. We followed up that conversation with a detailed explanation of our situation, including the delays experienced in letters to both offices. The core team and board members wrote a combined letter to the OFCC where we asked for help in overcoming the 13% shortfall. In addition we sent another letter and explained how important the promises we made to the community were and that the LFI money is needed to fund these portions of the overall project. In addition we needed updated information on the projected costs to renovate the old high school into new Nolley. We were hopeful that the state would help, but still realized the entire burden could land on us. We understand that if we could save money on the renovations, then more money would be available to put towards the new building. So, we needed to get updated information regarding the costs to renovate the current high school into the new Nolley. We continued to take a balanced approach and stayed true to our promises.

January 21 - A team from FMD, Shook, and engineers were at the high school to put together estimates of cost in the eventual renovation of the building. After gathering the information, we will be receiving estimates to have a better understanding of the costs in this time of inflation.

January 24 - The core team met. Karen Little asked for the documents from Schematic Design 1 and Schematic Design 2 to bring to the OFCC budget committee in order to appeal our case. Karen felt positive about our chances for the OFCC to commit something towards the project because we had evidence that we had done everything we could to reduce cost and were at design manual minimums. She shared that her meeting was scheduled for February 1, 2022.

February 4 - Manchester Local received a response to our letter to the budget committee from Melanie Drerup, OFCC Chief of Planning, in which she states, “In situations such as yours, where the project is in early design and the construction market is volatile, a budget adjustment amendment is not prepared for final approval. In lieu of a Project Agreement Amendment, Commission staff will prepare a Notice of Intent to Amend (NOI) for execution by our Executive Director. This NOI will allow the project team to move forward with the design phases of a base Ohio School Design Manual (OSDM) building. All components exceeding the base will be deemed as LFI. Once there is a better understanding of actual market conditions, Commission staff will work with the project team to prepare a Project Agreement Amendment for final approval. For your project, the BAC reviewed information presented by your assigned OFCC project manager Karen Little at its February 1, 2022, meeting. The outcome of that meeting is that a Notice of Intent (NOI) to Amend the Project Agreement will be issued for the Manchester Project. Currently, as we finalize the NOI, the project team is authorized to proceed to the next design phase.” In short, we are permitted to move forward into design development, the next phase of the building project, and the state will continue to contribute 44% of the applicable costs.

February 7 - The core team met. We discussed how the NOI would benefit our project and how we would know what is design manual minimum as well as how design alternatives would be proposed. Everyone agreed that we are excited about the project moving forward. Future meetings were agreed upon to look at more detailed classroom layouts. We also hope to receive cost estimates for the renovation of new Nolley towards the end of the week.

In addition to these developments the core team wants the community to know other ways we have been thinking and working to get us to our promised goals. We have already applied for two grants and another is in process to help fund the project. We will continue to explore possibilities of accelerating other parts of the project, if the timing would help produce cost savings. We will explore doing portions of the remodel at the high school building to benefit current students, and the elementary students who will be there in the future. I hope this update gets you excited about the project and how it is moving forward. You will see trees fall on the property sometime before March 15, 2022. We are happy to say that the new building is still on schedule to open for the 2024-2025 school year.

Mr. Shaun Morgan

Manchester Local Superintendent

December 2021 Update

Manchester Community,

Our last update in the Panther Telegram concluded with the last entry of October 8th and the following paragraph. The pandemic has created many challenges and will continue to be a factor in our process of completing the building project. People working remotely, interrupted supply chains, a volatile materials market, and a shortage of labor have already disrupted existing plans. The district will work with our team of architects and construction managers to do our best to plan ahead to meet these challenges. We are meeting every two weeks to receive updates from all of our partners and will continue to provide information to all of you as we progress.

Our goals of having a successful building project remain unchanged. Our district wants to provide the students of this community with a new, functional, and yet modest building where students can learn and grow into the young men and women they were created to be. In addition, it remains a priority to renovate the existing high school building into New Nolley and have a sports complex on site.

Here is an update of the work over the past two months.

October 18

The team examined updated site and floor plans. Updates on the status of sewer, water, gas, electric, internet, and storm water were discussed.

November 1

The core team along with FMD, Shook, and the OFCC participated in a page turn of the proposed design of the high school. These are not the blueprints, but would be the precursor to developing them. In this stage it is still easy to make suggestions and request modifications.

November 3

Manchester Local received a grade of A+ on the sale of our bonds to raise the 34 million dollars for the building project. The bonds were sold on the S&P to Huntington Bank at 2.6% interest rate.

November 15

CMR initial budget projections between 20% and 25% over budget. We learn that we have to redesign the school with low slope roofs, and a smaller footprint in order to reduce the shell. The district may need to rethink other portions of the project to get the project on budget. OFCC requires that we are on budget to proceed.

November 23

Key Communicator Meeting - The core team felt the need to share with the community the work accomplished up to this point and the challenges that we face. The team presented to a small group first and also shared that same information via email with all staff. During the meeting, Melanie Friedman, an FMD architect, reported that the team has completed the following: Existing Site Survey, Geotechnical Soil Borings, Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, Wetland Delineation Report, New Franklin/Aqua Meetings (Sewer and Water Discussions), Fire Department Meetings, and Utility Coordination. During this meeting we shared that on November 15 we learned that we are over budget. We reported that we have directed our architect to modify the design of the building to reduce our costs. They will focus on three main areas: roof, shell, and footprint in order to get us back on budget. The floor plan was shared even though it will be modified soon. The core team answered anticipated questions. The following is a summary of those anticipated questions.

Water and Sewer

Yes, there were discussions about getting water and sewer to the new high school. We engaged Mayor Adamson, a big supporter of our school system, in those discussions. We needed to explore and determine if this was the best and most economical option at this time for our school system. It has been thoroughly looked into and costs have been evaluated, and the timeline considered. The new school will be on well water and we will be utilizing the current sewer system on site.

Placement of the Building

We have heard it said that the building should be on the property next to the current stadium. Although not much about the project has been at or under budget so far. By being able to use the current sewer system on site, this has allowed our site work to come in under budget. The existing parking, pavement and site access, utility infrastructure, drainage, and existing grades are also beneficial to the site budget. All this allows more money to go towards the building. So as of today, we can say that building placement has saved us money.

Wetlands

Yes, there are wetlands around the building. However, we are able to face the building toward the projected new stadium to avoid any unnecessary time delays by having to work with the Army Corps of Engineers and having to disturb the wetlands or pay to replace them.

Timing

Yes, it is true that this project was delayed due to the COVID 19 pandemic and the OFCC in essence shutting down the process. We are not going to point fingers, but rather acknowledge that it is a reality. And now we are in an environment where construction materials and labor are in an inflationary period. Yes, that is frustrating.

Money

Since the issue passed in 2019, the question comes up - what have you done with the money collected already? The answer is, we have not spent a cent of that money. In fact, that money is earmarked to pay back the bonds over 36 years that are sold to raise the 34 million dollars for the project. All of the steps to sell those bonds, including getting an A+ rating, were completed and we sold the bonds on November 3rd. The money that has been collected will be used to make a larger payment upfront to keep the promise that the bonds will be paid back in the 36 years as originally promised from the 2019 point of collection. It is important that we are vigilant in being fiscally responsible with taxpayer’s money.

Time Line

The plan is to have a ground-breaking in the fall of next year, and to still be moving into the new high school building in August of 2024. The remaining projects will follow this work as the new building opens up space to renovate the New Nolley.

December 2

The same information that we shared at the key communicators meeting and with the district staff was communicated to any interested community members at the community meeting.

It is our intention to keep the community informed of the status of our building project. We hope that you have a blessed holiday season with your family and friends!

The Core Team: Joe Hercules, Steve Rector, Scott Ross, Jen Rucker, Mike Stafford, Rachel Willis and Shaun Morgan.

October 2021 Update:

Manchester Community,

We know you are just as excited as we are to see the building project moving forward. We understand the frustration of having to wait due to the Covid Pandemic. As the district construction team, we thought it would be best to share how the work has been progressing. The timeline below will be updated and available via Twitter and panthercountry.org, and we hope that placing the timeline of how the project is progressing in the Panther Telegram will communicate our progress to all stakeholders.

Here is the timeline of events since June of 2021 so you know the sequence thus far.

June 2021 - Architect selection process began, followed by CMR selection process.

June 22, 2021 - FMD Architects approved as architects.

July, 2021 - Construction Managers shortlisted and interviewed. Program design and planning began with staff and architect teams.

July 19-20 - FMD Architects interviewed teachers and coaches for input on their specific learning and classroom needs.

August 16, 2021 - Entire staff participated in a visual listening exercise to provide insight into different elements of the building.

August, 2021 - Shook Construction selected as CMR for the high school project.

August 23, 2021 - Construction "Kickoff" meeting between FMD, Shook, OFCC and school representatives.

September 8, 2021 - Bi-weekly meetings began for Core Team with FMD, Shook and OFCC reps

September 20, 2021 - The core team participated in an Eco-charrette. This meeting focused the discussion on how to best achieve LEED Silver certification.

October 4, 2021 - The core team met and reviewed the results of geotechnical report and wetlands delineation site investigation studies. It was noted that in order to be part of the co-funded work through the OFCC, these site investigations were not able to be completed until after the State of Ohio authorized the project to move forward. The results of the geotechnical report (soil bearing capacity) were favorable and our discussion focused on the placement of building, parking lots and drive aisles to avoid some small areas of wetlands. The avoidance of these will help keep the project on schedule and avoid having to submit to the Army Corps under their national permit program, which has been lengthy during COVID.

October 8, 2021 - Core team met with OFCC, FMD, and Shook with Project Management Consultant. The management consultant led the meeting with the focus on defining roles and responsibilities in the project and to build cohesiveness in working through a long and sometimes difficult building process.

The pandemic has created many challenges and will continue to be a factor in our process of completing the building project. People working remotely, interrupted supply chains, a volatile materials market, and a shortage of labor have already disrupted existing plans. The district will work with our team of architects and construction managers to do our best to plan ahead to meet these challenges. We are meeting every two weeks to receive updates from all of our partners and will continue to provide information to all of you as we progress.

Summer 2021 update

Manchester Local Schools Building Project

Reasons for multiple Changes of Agreement

Manchester voters passed a bond issue in November 2019 to allow the district to partner with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) to begin the project of building new and replacement facilities. A description of the construction project can be found on this site.

The project was expected to get funding approved by the state in July 2020, but due to the unprecedented disruptions caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, as well as an anticipated funding shortage at the state level, the approval date of funding became uncertain.

In early October 2020, the state reached out to MLSD (as well as to other districts waiting funding) to offer an alternative path forward. Under this special edition of the plan known as the Expedited Local Partnership Program, or ELPP the district will be able to use alternative funds that we have available to begin our construction project. Later, when the state was prepared to provide funding, they would then credit the district for their share of the project.

However, in January, 2021 the OFCC transitioned us out of that program and put us back into a regular Classroom Facilities Assistance Program or CFAP. This program has slowed us up as we are in the process of updating a few things with the State. The money for the new project is still there and will move ahead but now it is slightly behind. We are still moving ahead with the new high school, updated high school for Nolley and our athletic programs but due to unforeseen issues with the process and decisions outside of our control, we are not as far along as we had hoped to be at this point. A meeting between the OFCC and our team will take place on April 1 to get the process moving once again.

February 2021

A note from the Board and Dr. Robinson regarding the process:

The process of building a new school and working with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) can take time so it is difficult to give exact timelines and completion dates.

In December we learned that, while our funding from the state is secure, it may not be disbursed until possibly July (although it could be sooner). There will not be any movement on that piece until after the March 17th Primary to see what other schools will get funding, if any, as this is how they determine our place in line for money as a "lapsed district". For that reason, we cannot begin any work on the portions of the project that are co-funded by the state. This includes design, Architect and/or Engineer selection and any construction, abatement, demolition, etc. The co-funded portion includes the construction of a new High school, and the demolition of Nimisila and Nolley. We have requested more information from the state and are hoping to have a preliminary basic time line for the entire project to share soon.

In the mean time, we can begin on any portions that are coming from all local funds (LFI pieces). This includes the remodel of the old high school into an elementary school, and all the work related to athletics. These projects cannot be completed until the new high school is complete and current elementary school is cleared. However, we are working diligently to identify any preliminary work that can be started as long as it doesn’t waste any money. We have begun educational vision planning and will continue to have small groups touring schools to identify pros and cons, good ideas and even mistakes that other districts have made in order to carefully and efficiently design schools that will be viable into the distant future and suit our community’s needs and values.

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