Committee approves $68,480 school payment application

Other Committee · Meeting of September 3, 2026

Newington's John Wallace School Project Building Committee approved two payments totaling over $123,000 as the school renovation nears completion. The committee unanimously approved Potential Change Order 17, a $55,224.97 credit from unused contractor allowances, and Newfield's payment application 14 for $68,480.73 in July work, the latter delayed from the prior meeting for lack of quorum. Construction Manager Tom said a third change order remains under state review, with officials disputing eligibility of some costs.

Member Sean Halloran called the finished building a source of "so much happiness and accomplishment," while member Joe Harpy said closing off open classroom spaces resolved a parent security concern. A grand reopening event was announced for 5 p.m. the following Thursday.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 1,614 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of September 3, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.

The Full Article

Call to Order, Roll Call and Public Participation

The John Wallace School Project Building Committee met September 3, 2026, with Chairman Woods calling the meeting to order and a roll call confirming a quorum. Present and responding "here" were Chairman Woods, member Joe Harpy, member Sean Halloran and member Tim Newton. Member Kelly DeHaas was named in the roll call but no response was recorded, suggesting absence. A staff or administrative participant identified as Lauren conducted the roll call and managed screen sharing during the meeting.

Before formal business began, the committee noted that an automated meeting-notes bot, referred to informally as "Mr. AI," had joined the Zoom call despite the committee's preference that such tools be disabled. One member raised a general concern about internet-connected devices picking up conversation topics for advertising purposes, though no formal action followed. The bot was confirmed to have left the call by the time public participation was revisited later in the meeting.

Approval of Prior Minutes and Routine Invoices

This was a standard procedural item: the committee approves outstanding minutes and monthly contractor invoices as part of its regular business cycle. The question before the body was simply whether to ratify the July 16 minutes and two contractor invoices carried over from the prior meeting.

Member Newton moved to approve the July 16 minutes, seconded by Halloran; the motion passed unanimously on a voice vote. Owner's Project Manager Henry then presented two invoices that had been shown but not voted on at the previous meeting: $3,005.87 owed to the contractor identified as Friars, and $7,082.67 owed to the contractor identified as CSG. Both were approved unanimously, the first on a motion from Harpy and second from Newton, the second on a motion from Harpy and second from Halloran. Henry described both as "just their monthly requisitions," with no further discussion.

Owner's Project Manager Update: Punch List and Toilet Issue

The punch list has been the project's central unresolved item for several meetings, and this update addressed what remains before the school's renovation can be declared complete. The question before the committee was whether outstanding punch-list items, chiefly a mechanical issue with two toilets, are on track for resolution.

Henry reported that the new school year started smoothly and that a walkthrough with the project's commissioning staff, Steve and Fryer, alongside the general contractor Newfield, resolved the bulk of punch-list items. The remaining issue involves two toilets, confirmed by Harpy to be in a seventh-grade area, where manual flush buttons are malfunctioning despite the units having already been replaced once. "They're flushing automatically. But if you ever need to manually flush it, that's what's not working," Henry said, adding that the manufacturer's representative will join a site visit the following week to determine whether the units themselves are defective or whether there is an installation problem.

Procedurally, no motion was required for this update; it was informational. Henry said Newfield would be presenting additional material and reminded the committee of an open house the following Thursday, which members confirmed they had already been invited to attend.

Architect Update: Design Reception and Remaining Punch-List Items

Architect Bob's update covered both the remaining physical punch-list items and informal feedback on the completed design, giving the committee a sense of how the renovated building is being received by staff and families. The committee's question here was whether the design and construction defects noted by members were being tracked and closed out.

Bob confirmed the toilet issue would be addressed jointly with the commissioning agent, identified as CES, the following week. On a question from Harpy about framing around door openings that appeared "jammed down or hammered pretty hard to get the fit," Bob and Chairman Woods clarified the issue involved corner guards, not framing, and that new four-inch aluminum corner guards had been ordered to replace ones installed under difficult conditions. "The work just isn't done yet. They had to order their new corner guards," Woods said. Bob reported broad satisfaction with the finished design: "We're very happy with how it came out, and we're working with the whole team. We're excited about the opening." Chairman Woods added that teachers were "ecstatic that they have walls, windows, and doors," referencing the elimination of open-concept classroom spaces.

No formal motion was associated with this item.

Construction Manager Update: PCCO 17 and Payment Application 14

This item carried the meeting's two largest financial actions: a contract change order reconciling allowances across multiple trades, and a monthly payment application that had been delayed by a lack of quorum at the prior meeting. The committee was asked to ratify both, formally closing out the associated costs and authorizing payment.

Construction Manager Tom presented Potential Change Order 17 as a financial closeout mechanism, explaining that most line items represent unused contractor allowances being credited back to the project rather than new expenses. "This is not a mistake. These are all credits," Tom said. One exception, item 89, was a back charge to the demolition contractor for masonry patching required after crews had to demolish higher than planned to install a temporary support beam at an exterior door opening, work that fell outside the original contract scope. Tom also flagged a System 1 bond increase as the lone positive-dollar item on the change order, with "a few more of those in the coming weeks" expected. The net result was a credit of $55,224.97 back to the project. On a question from Harpy about whether the credited amounts reflected contractor overbidding, Tom clarified they were allowances held back deliberately because "it's very difficult to get it back" once released, a practice he said Newfield uses regularly with its subcontractors. Halloran moved to approve PCCO 17, seconded by Newton; the motion passed unanimously. Woods noted dryly that Halloran "doesn't get to approve many credits" that size.

Tom then presented Newfield's payment application 14, covering work substantially completed in July, in the amount of $68,480.73, a vote delayed from the prior meeting due to lack of quorum. Harpy moved to approve, seconded by Halloran; the motion passed unanimously. During discussion, a committee member asked Tom how much in change-order costs remains pending with the state without a funding decision. Tom said the project has a third change order currently under state review, on which the state recently returned comments disputing the eligibility of certain costs, requiring the project team "to push back sometimes." Tom indicated the team expects to submit one more change order once remaining financial items are closed out.

Other Business and Grand Reopening Announcement

The grand reopening of the renovated school is scheduled for 5 p.m. next Thursday, a detail announced by Lauren under other business after a brief search for the information. No motion was required; the announcement was informational, giving residents a fixed, public date to view the completed project.

Member Comments and Public Reflection

In the committee's closing comments, member Sean Halloran apologized for missing the prior meeting due to a family emergency and reflected on the project's origin, recalling that as many as ten families approached him when he was running for the Board of Education years earlier to raise concerns about the school's condition. Halloran said his own two children, in eighth and fifth grade, toured the school for orientation and had only one complaint: "that it smelled a little weird," which he attributed to new construction materials. Member Joe Harpy credited the project with resolving a security concern that had been raised by parents "every morning" since the school reopened, saying the elimination of open classroom spaces had produced a building that "is secure." Chairman Woods and other members agreed the new-construction smell, described as vinyl and adhesive, would dissipate over time.

The meeting adjourned on a motion from Halloran, approved unanimously. Woods noted the committee expects to meet again in the third week of September to approve another, larger payment application as the project's finances are fully closed out, and said a quorum will be important for that meeting.

WHO WAS THERE

Chairman Woods, presiding, present and voting Joe Harpy, member, present and voting Sean Halloran, member, present and voting Tim Newton, member, present and voting Kelly DeHaas, member, listed on roll call with no recorded response; attendance unconfirmed, likely absent Henry, Owner's Project Manager, present, surname not given in available sources Bob, Architect, present, surname not given in available sources Tom, Construction Manager, present, surname not given in available sources Lauren, staff/administrative role unspecified, conducted roll call and screen sharing, surname not given in available sources Jason Plum, identified only briefly at the start of the call as present via Zoom; role at the meeting unclear from available sources An automated meeting-notes application, informally called "Mr. AI" by members, briefly present as a Zoom participant and later confirmed to have left

ORGANIZATIONS AND DOCUMENTS REFERENCED

Newfield — general contractor on the John Wallace School renovation, performed the punch-list walkthrough and submitted payment application 14 Friars — trade contractor whose monthly invoice of $3,005.87 was approved CSG — trade contractor whose monthly invoice of $7,082.67 was approved CES — commissioning agent engaged to help resolve the toilet flushometer issue State of Connecticut (school construction grant reviewer) — cited by Tom as the authority reviewing the project's pending third change order and disputing certain cost eligibility Potential Change Order 17 — a $55,224.97 net credit reconciling contractor allowances and a masonry back charge, ratified at this meeting Newfield payment application 14 — $68,480.73 payment for July work, delayed from the prior meeting for lack of quorum and approved at this meeting July 16, 2026 meeting minutes — approved at this meeting