Higher than expected material and labor costs, as well as unforeseen site conditions, have driven the cost estimate for the new Burlington High School and technical center to $209.2 million. That's $19.1 million more than the $190.1 million cost estimate presented to the school board in May.

At a board meeting on Tuesday, superintendent Tom Flanagan and school commissioners discussed the revised budget — and how to move forward — with project manager Dylan Lozier of Whiting-Turner.

The cost of some materials, such as steel, slate and granite, has risen in the four months since the previous estimate, according to a September 1 memo from Lozier. There were also fewer bidders than Whiting-Turner had expected for certain jobs, such as masonry work.
"There were only so many people within a 200-mile, 300-mile radius that even wanted to look at the project," Lozier explained to the board on Tuesday. "Not everyone wants to come up here. Not everyone has the skill set. Not everyone has a big enough company to go after a $7 million-plus masonry package."



Some $5 million in the new estimate will be used to remove a large amount of rock and soil from the site. Contractors weren't sure what they'd find under the buildings until they started digging, according to Lozier. The new building can't go up until that material is removed.

Asbestos in the building foundation also slowed demolition and required more workers, pushing costs higher.
With the new costs included, the Burlington School District is short $2.2 million to pay for the project. The district has $165 million from a bond Burlington voters approved last November, $25 million from other sources, $16 million from the state for PCB cleanup and a $1 million federal stormwater grant.

Lozier said he's confident that Whiting-Turner can cut $3 to $5 million dollars from the cost by making aesthetic tweaks that would not majorly affect the overall project design, function or durability.  "Instead of the $5-a-square-foot ceiling tile, we get the $3.50-a-square-foot tile," Lozier said. "Instead of having a data outlet every 10 feet, we're probably going to go to Wi-Fi in some spaces ... Instead of having that entire wall [of] windows, let's maybe reduce that to 75 percent windows ... Those are the types of things that we're going to be tackling."

Lozier said contractors could figure out the bulk of those changes in around three months.

Superintendent Flanagan, who said he hopes to move students into the new building in 2026, stressed the importance of maintaining a tight timeline. The district will incur more expenses — such as paying rent at the temporary downtown high school — the longer the project drags on, he noted.