The Knoch school board received updates on the high school renovation project from Eckles Construction Services.

John Pappas, president of Eckles Construction Services, gave an update to the Knoch school board on its high school renovations on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

The updates at board’s work session went over change orders and stages of completion made by contractors.

“I don’t think they’re concerns so much as they’re updates. The board is asking questions about change orders. When you first build a project, you try to get all the expenses in there to make sure we know what we’re paying for,” superintendent David Foley said. “And the challenge with that is that things will come up during the project. And the board gets to say, ‘Are these changes necessary?’”

Pappas said that there are roughly 60 workers on average at the site on a daily basis, and that they have been transitioning “from outside work to inside work.”

According to information provided by Eckles construction, there has been $484,206 in change orders approved as of October.

This month alone, there are currently estimated to be between $142,220 and $269,920 in current change orders that are still pending approval.

An application summary of all contracts shows that Eckles has spent just over $17 million in contracts.

The general contractor, Hudson Construction, has finished installation of multiple parts of the renovation, such as some flooring and wall panels in the auditorium, restrooms and vestibule entrance.

While HVAC and plumbing work is still underway, electrical work, including lighting installation, has been partially completed. Food service equipment gear has also been set up, such as coolers, freezers and kitchen fume hoods.

The high school renovation is expected to be completed by the end of next summer.

The board discussed voting on approval for 2025-26 year’s calendar in December. The district plans to start next school year on Sept. 4, after Labor Day, and last until June 10. Foley said this will give construction crews as much time as possible to finalize any remaining parts of the renovation in the summer. Because of this, the district will approve the calendar earlier than normal, so families don’t have summer plans affected.