New Huot Center building is about half-way home

Published Date

LACONIA — The construction portion of the Huot Regional Technical Education Center addition is more than half completed, reported the construction team to the Joint Building Committee yesterday.
The construction phase of the project was budgeted at $13,940,273 and to date $7,338,116 or 46.19 percent of the budgeted amount has been spent.
Of the $550,000 contingency fund, change orders have amounted $90,085 leaving $459,925 to see the project through to completion.
The JBC also asked for an artists rendering for retrofitting the windows in the front of the existing buildings to be more compatible with those in the new building. The window replacement, that could cost between $300,000 and $500,000 depending on what contractors find when they remove the old windows, will be more energy efficient and may result in rebates from the gas company.
The rendering and estimated costs will be made available to the JBC next week and contractor said they would like solicit bids for the windows.
As for the actual construction, Superintendent Bob Champlin said the roof top units have been lowered on to the top of the building and are similar in size to the ones at the Laconia Middle School.
Inside, work continues apace and Champlin reported that construction companies began installing windows yesterday.
Tomorrow, Harvey Construction will have 10 sheet metal workers inside and the staging will come down from the front of the new building next week.
City Councilor Matt Lahey said the capital campaign, which has raised so far between $750,000 to $800,000 will begin in earnest now that the holidays are past.
He said there will be a presentation on January 24 at 3 p.m. at the Taylor Community and one at a later day at the Congregational Church.
An open house of the already renovated spaces in the old Huot Center is scheduled for February 12, in the afternoon.