Unforeseen issues crop up at Knights Crossing house during renovation
Charles Bolinger
Editor
The Knights Crossing project will exceed its contingency fund. That was one thing learned during a special board meeting on Nov. 10 at the district’s headquarters.
Dr. Jason Henderson, Triad superintendent, gave many of the board members an update on the district’s bond issue work but first, Brian Mattingly, the district’s director of facilities provided his own update.
Mattingly delivered the bad news first: the Knights Crossing project ran into some unforeseen issues and will need more than its contingency fund monies to correct the issues found.
Knights Crossing Transition House will be in a converted home in front of Triad High School on US 40 that Transition House. Knights Crossing will be a school home where our young adults learn and practice the skills they need for independent living — cooking meals, managing daily responsibilities and gaining confidence for the future.
Conversion of the ranch-style home began in early August and has a completion date of spring 2026.
“The problem with getting into these old houses is unforeseen [issues],” Mattingly said. Mattingly said the house needs a new roof. That will cost $17,000 and will consume most of the project’s contingency fund of $20,000. The house’s electrical system needed to be upgraded from 100 amps to at least 150 amps, he said.
“There’s a lot of plumbing issues in there; it’s almost like someone came in, an uncle came in and did some plumbing upgrades and they are not up to code,” he said. “We have to be up to code in this house.”
Crews ripped the wooden floors and found another flooring beneath. To put down the specified flooring from the project plan, a subfloor needs to be installed.
Bottom line, Mattingly said the project needs an additional $45,000 worth of work. He has spoken to FGM Architects, Millennium Construction and RTM, the mechanical contractor.
He asked the contractors if the district had gone with a higher bidder, would that company have identified these issues.
“The answer is no; this was unforeseen,” Mattingly said. “We would have never known about these issues if we did not pull out the walls or get down into these crawl spaces. Yes, we did inspect the house. There was no asbestos but we didn’t pull all of these walls. The roof wasn’t an issue until we pulled the ceilings down to put in all-new LED lighting.”
He added that crews will shorten the roof overhangs and they have started to bow and settle.
The issues found will not delay the project, Mattingly said, and these should be the home’s last issues.
Lori Daiber said she spoke to two people who formerly lived there as children, Rick and his sister, Cindy. They want to visit the home before it is totally remodeled.
Of the board, these members were absent: Amy Moss and Brittany Evans. The next regular Triad School Board Meeting is Nov. 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the district’s administration building, 203 E. Throp St.
Caption – Faculty who will work with students at the Knights Crossing House after it’s complete attended the ground breaking back in late August. The ranch home is located in front of Triad High School on US 40 in Troy.
