By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

South Portland has hired two firms to do an independent review of the city’s high school renovation plan designed by Harriman Architects and Engineers.

HKTA/Architects, represented by Bob Howe and Tom Frederick of Wright-Ryan Construction, will conduct the peer review of Harriman’s proposal. Both firms are located in Portland.

They must finish their work before the end of August so the city has time to put a $44.1 million bond issue on the November ballot to pay for the renovation. The school department has $3.2 million in project funds to apply to the overall cost.

“Much progress has been made on getting this review done in a timely manner so as to have information in hand and still be ready to move toward a November 2010 referendum,” Assistant School Superintendent Steve Bailey wrote in an e-mail. “It should be of great benefit to all of us once completed.”

South Portland residents in 2007 defeated a $56 million referendum for a high school upgrade.  

The independent review was first proposed by Board of Education Vice-Chairman Ralph Baxter Jr. at a city council workshop June 28.

One day after the workshop, Bailey said an independent review was not offered to the council in 2007 because, “it didn’t seem to be an issue at that time.”

Last month Mayor Tom Coward said, “We want them (independent reviewers) to look at what’s already been done and tell us if the plan will address our needs. In order to set people’s minds at rest, we need to have a second opinion.”

Howe said he’s been in the architectural business for 30 years and his company was involved with renovation of all of South Portland’s elementary schools from 2000 to 2006.

“We’ve done a lot of schools. We’re familiar with educational buildings,” Howe said.

The total cost of the reviewers’ services will be less than $10,000, according to Gailey. HKTA/Architects’ contract will not exceed $5,000 and Wright-Ryan’s fee is $95 an hour, Gailey said.

City Manager Jim Gailey met with Howe, Frederick and Harriman representatives July 13 to discuss the process of transferring Harriman’s documents to the independent reviewers.

Those documents will include the program workbook that describes spaces, sizes and square footage for individual spaces, Howe said.

“These are common documents in any project that is state-funded,” Howe said. “I expect it will be a peer review of some very exciting documents.”

Howe said he expects to present a written report to the city by Aug. 10.

Howe and Frederick will review the high school upgrade plan that is expected to cost $47.3 million. 

Howe said he will  look at the construction, phasing and size of the project. He also wants to know the reasons why decisions were made to build in certain ways.

“It’s complex because of its site but it’s a very exciting project for South Portland,” Howe said.

 “We feel that the two firms that we have brought on have extensive knowledge and capability of producing a quality document addressing the proposed scope. Both firms are very reputable firms in the state of Maine,” Gailey wrote in an e-mail.

Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.