The February '26 SHTA newsletter includes reported concerns from staff  working in the building: flooring "falling apart", "crumbling glue", "peeling", "chunks...missing" and "coming up in sheets". The report  (see excerpt) also alludes to challenges with building climate controls, a recent power outage, and additional details about the recently discovered mold.

The Construction Manager failed to establish unloading areas for material deliveries. As a result, Ludlow Road traffic was regularly obstructed. Construction vehicles detoured around the blockages by driving on residential yards across the street from the site. This resulted in existing slate sidewalks crushed in multiple locations. These sidewalks remain unrepaired.

Required tree protection fencing was not installed in a timely fashion. Contractors drove heavy equipment across tree roots, and stockpiled soil and materials in these sensitive areas.

City inspectors issued a stop work order to mandate correction of this oversight. Damage to tree health likely resulted, but may not be apparent for several years.

With required Planning approvals not secured until early December 2024, less than seven months was allowed for renovation work. Evening and weekend overtime work throughout the summer was not adequate to recover the schedule and families were impacted by the delayed start. Construction work on incomplete items has continued through the fall and winter of 2025/26, including during times the school is occupied by preschool children.

The original scope assumed retaining existing single-glazed windows with poor energy performance. A decision to upgrade the windows was made well after the start of construction. While the change was prudent decision to save operating costs and improve comfort, the delay in implementation contributed to unnecessary schedule impacts as well as a cost increase of well over a half-million dollars, an amount that could have been reduced with a more timely decision.

The design team struggled in achieving required design approvals. The project appeared before the Architectural Board of Review seven times, and the City Planning Commission five times before obtaining the required sign-offs on the design of the site layout and design of modest building additions.

Initial site designs maximized parking and severely limited greenspace and playground area. The community pushed for using existing street parking instead. WIth the building now operational, there is ample street parking remaining and no congestion issues at drop-off and pick-up times.

Initial site layouts did not take into account existing grading or sensitive root locations for legacy oak street trees. The Planning Commission required a detailed tree assessment, setting a precedent for future school projects.