Shortly after the School Committee last met, the Massachusetts School Building Authority approved NV5 Holdings Inc. as project manager for the Hildreth Elementary School renovation project. The decision was announced Sept. 14.
The school district is the hiring authority for the project manager, Superintendent Linda Dwight explained to School Committee members, but the MSBA reviews and approves the hiring process. The next major choice—that of the architect for the project—is a joint decision between the district and the MSBA.
Chairwoman SusanMary Redinger said in an interview that NV5 (formerly Joslin, Lesser & Associates) was the building committee’s first choice among the four finalists selected from the nine firms that submitted proposals in response the school district’s request. Members of the building committee interviewed those finalists and checked their references in August. Jeffrey Luxenberg was Harvard’s contact with NV5 during the selection process, and the on-site project manager is Stephanie Gilman.
Founded in 1983, Joslin, Lesser & Associates was a Watertown firm that specialized in managing public projects including K–12 schools, residence halls, and public safety buildings. In 2015, the company became part of NV5 Holdings Inc., a technical engineering and consulting firm that operates nationwide. NV5’s two Massachusetts offices are in Watertown and Woburn.
The next major step in the project is the selection of the architect, Redinger said, with a request for services slated to go out Oct. 5. Proposals from candidates will be due Oct. 20, she said, and interviews are scheduled for late November. Once chosen, the architect will spend most of 2017 developing plans in concert with the building committee and the MSBA.
