Schools

Firmer Sense of Unsuitable Soil Costs Coming to Glen Rock

Cost to replace unsuitable soil at Glen Rock High School have tallied $800,000 but a meeting next week could see that figure reduced, according to a report.

The Glen Rock school district could be closing in on what it will have to fork over to at its multimillion dollar field renovation project at the high school.

According to a report in the Glen Rock Gazette, the school board's operations committee will be meeting with contractor Turco Golf on Wed., Aug. 15. and should have a better idea of its financial state on the project.

At its July 8 meeting, the district informed the public that "unsuitable" soil was found at the high school sports complex must be removed and replaced for any building to continue construction.

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The board approved a change order in the amount of $600,000 worth or work already performed, as well as spillover amount of $200,000 for any further findings of bad soil at the lower soccer field.

The change order could put future projects in jeopardy, and district officials are hoping the figure can be negotiated down.

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Business Administrator Michael Rinderknecht cryptically said in July that he would work behind the scenes to lower Turco's work estimate, which speakers at the previous board meeting said sounded unreasonably high.

The total amount for change orders (a previous change order cost $152,000)  in the project could exceed 20 percent, meaning the state will have to allow Glen Rock to make the commitments.

Glen Rock Public Schools expects to have $1.5 million left over in its capital reserve project by next June, Rinderknecht said. Unspent monies on the budget transfer would be returned to the capital budget.


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