Lowell High School Cost Overruns Head to City Council June 24

LOWELL -- June 12, 2025, Lowell High School renovation cost overruns will go before the City Council on June 24 as pending change requests now exceed remaining contingency funds. Owner's project manager Jim Dow told the School Building Committee at its June 12 meeting that 34 change orders totaling just over $16 million have drawn the $21.2 million contingency down to $5.1 million, while the current forecast of pending change requests stands at $6.3 million, not counting costs tied to a one-year schedule extension that pushes Phase 4 completion from June 1, 2026 to June 1, 2027. Dow said the extension, driven by the failed gymnasium floor and auditorium delays, means all 51 subcontractors must carry supervisory staff for an additional year at labor rates expected to rise $3 to $5 per hour, with material escalation of 3 to 4 percent. The project has spent $278 million to date, with $369 million encumbered total and $178 million reimbursed by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.