District 181 Seeks Project Manager, Task Force Applicants for New HMS Project

Hinsdale residents voted in favor of a referendum that would fund a new Hinsdale Middle School last week, and now School District 181 is looking for community members to take part in a task force for the construction of the new HMS.

The district is also seeking applicants for a project manager in the next phases of planning and construction of the new HMS, it stated in a press release. The official title for this community role will be Owner’s Representative.

One person will serve as the manager for the new HMS project, District 181 announced in the release, and that individual will be selected by Superintendent Don White, the Board of Education and district administration. They are looking to hire someone who will be present from the nascent stages of the project through finishing touches on final construction, and applicants should be both construction- and education-savvy.

The district estimates this timeline to last from approximately January 2017 through December 2018 — a two-year period.

The project manager position is part-time, with a time commitment of about 20 hours a week. The district hasn’t announced any salary estimates yet.

“Due to the scope and scale of this project, and the time commitment that will be required, we need someone at the table whose primary responsibility is representing the district’s interests,” White said in the release. “The Owner’s Representative also has to be an exceptionally strong communicator and collaborator, committed to supporting a transparent process and supporting the project being completed on time and on budget.”

Responsibilities of the position will also include attending inspections of the building, preparing status reports, collaborating with community leaders and reviewing construction documents.

“We look forward to reviewing the applicant materials and completing the selection process so that we can move forward with our full team on board,” White said.

The district is also in the midst of creating a task force that will advise the administration during the construction of the new school.

“We are interested in gathering a small team of parents, residents and local business leaders who have expertise in architecture, commercial construction, facilities or finance who are willing to volunteer in working with me on behalf of the District,” White said. “We are fortunate in our community to have professionals who know this industry and can contribute to the process.”

The task force will focus on overseeing the expenditure of public funds, helping to ensure that construction is both in line with what voters approved and responsive to the Board of Education’s desires, and supporting the successful completion of the project.

Members of the force will, in addition to overseeing public funds, review change orders, make recommendations for the awarding of bids and monitor the construction schedule. White said he thinks the group would meet about once a month for the period of December 2016 to December 2018.

“The construction of Hinsdale Middle School is being made possible through community action and taxpayer dollars, so we want to ensure they feel represented as we move forward,” White said. “I appreciate the opportunity to work with community members in supporting the successful construction of a new HMS.”

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Photo courtesy of District 181.