A $3 million estimate for an addition to Harvard’s senior center, Hildreth House, was met with relief by the subcommittee charged with planning the project, until members realized the estimate was only for construction costs. The Hildreth House Phase 2 Subcommittee met with DiGiorgio Associates, Inc. (DAI) Vice President Tom Lam on Aug. 16, and got its first look at an estimate for the design the architects have been working on since early July.
But the estimate didn’t contain any “soft costs” for items such as the detailed design drawings needed to build the addition. DAI is currently under contract for schematic design only. Lam explained to the group that soft costs typically add about 25% to 40% of construction costs to the cost of a project, and the low end of that range would have brought the total to $3.75 million.
However, a week later DAI sent the subcommittee a revised estimate of $3.5 million for construction costs alone, not including soft costs. Lam told the Press the increase was due to further refinement of the schedule and site improvements.
The new estimate brings the total for the project, as currently designed, to well over $4 million. The Permanent Building Committee is planning to meet with DAI to discuss its design and estimate on Sept. 4.
Hildreth House Phase 2 exterior view. The main Hildreth House is to the west of this building. The driveway would connect to the covered entryway. The interior of the new building is all on one level with a high ceiling in the large dining/multipurpose room.
Source: DiGiorgio Associates, Inc. (DAI)
Three million dollars is the figure the Council on Aging Board of Directors has been trying to stick to in its capital requests for Phase 2 over the past few years. That number is based on an estimate prepared in 2016 by A. M. Fogarty for a schematic design done by LLB Architects in 2014. Construction costs in that estimate totaled $2.3 million, and soft costs were estimated to add another $700,000. While the board recognized that construction prices continue to rise every year, it stated in its 2018 capital request that it would try to keep the cost to $3 million because of the town’s other financial obligations, namely the new elementary school.
The driving force for Phase 2 is the lack of sufficient dining and event space in the existing Hildreth House. Earlier this summer, the Phase 2 Subcommittee agreed that the new space should be one story, the exterior should be compatible with Hildreth House, and it should be as energy efficient as possible. It would contain one large dining/multipurpose room that could serve up to 90 people but could also be divided into three sections for smaller groups. It would also contain a warming kitchen capable of handling meals for 90 people, wheelchair-accessible bathrooms as required by code, and ample storage for folding tables, chairs, and other supplies. Members also agreed that the addition should be air conditioned.
A separate building?
DAI Architects recommended a separate building for the addition as the most cost-effective solution, in order to avoid triggering expensive fire code requirements in the existing building. DAI said the addition would have to be at least 30 feet away and could not be connected by a permanent covered walkway, which the committee initially wanted. The three options for location were behind Hildreth House, which would encroach on the setback limit; abutting the lower parking area, which would eliminate some parking and would require rerouting existing water and sewer lines; and the location the committee chose, to the east of the existing building. The only known drawbacks of the chosen location are that it would likely require terracing to control runoff and possible relocation of utility wires. Architects believe the building, because it will have no basement, could be pinned to the ledge on that spot.
Over the summer the committee looked at multiple iterations of renderings for the new building and expressed concern that it might dwarf the existing building. Members also pushed back on not connecting the structure to Hildreth House, but DAI Project Manager Chris Sullivan made it clear that the connection would likely add an estimated quarter million dollars to the cost of the project because Hildreth House would have to be sprinklered and meet other new code requirements. Sullivan also warned the group that the $3 million target seemed way too low, and the size of the building would likely need to be decreased to meet that number.
2020 start too ambitious?
On Aug. 16 the committee met and discussed the initial estimate based on the design so far. It assumed a start date of fall 2020, but Permanent Building Committee member Rick Maiore, who attended the meeting, said that date was too ambitious given that funding wouldn’t be voted on until May 2020. Maiore said spring 2021 would be more likely, so DAI added a 4% cost escalation to its next iteration of the budget to account for the later start date.
When the Permanent Building Committee met on Aug. 21, Maiore updated members on the design and the construction budget. Member Steve Moeser questioned DAI’s reasons for not connecting the addition to the building as well as what he saw as “bells and whistles,” such as latticework over the trash enclosure. Members talked about a lack of expertise on the Hildreth House Phase 2 Subcommittee, but were unsure of how much input they should have in the design process, as this is the first major project they are participating in. Maiore and Moeser thought they should not intrude at the subcommittee’s meetings, but member Pablo Carbonell favored having a few Permanent Building Committee members attend Phase 2 meetings to share knowledge. In the end, the committee voted 2-1 to have DAI attend its next meeting on Sept. 4.
