NORWICH – Two members of the architectural team managing the district’s $35M building project explained to the Norwich school board Tuesday night why construction is behind schedule.

Al Hugaboom and Rick Bray of the Greenwood Group explained setbacks the project has faced recently, including the steel not arriving on site as expected. The architects explained they in turn had to get the subcontractor to correct the problem and the steel is expected to arrive no later than Dec. 27. Not having the steel meant the construction process lagged, Hugaboom said.

Hugaboom said a temporary roof will have to be constructed to case-in and protect the internal work from outside weather conditions. Board vice-president Clyde Birch Jr. asked if the district will have any additional cost for the temporary roof that was not originally included in plans. “Isn’t it right to say that the real roof should have been on by now?” he asked. “Who covers the cost for the temporary roof to be put on?”

Hugaboom said the district will not be charged for the additional roof and the cost for the mistakes will be covered by the contractor. “The district, as for now, will see no additional cost for anything that has happened,” he said.