Why So Many Problems with ARMS Roof Replacement?

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee, Sept. 8. Part 1

Present
RSC members William Sherr (Chair, Pelham), Sarahbess Kenney (Vice Chair, Pelham), Andrew Hart (Amherst), Anna Heard (Shutsbury), Bridget Hynes (Amherst), Laura Jane Hunter (Amherst), Deborah Leonard (Amherst), Sarah Marshall (Amherst), Tim Shores (Leverett); Superintendent Xiomara Herman

At their September 8, 2026 meeting, members of the Regional School Committee (RSC) had the opportunity to speak with Mark Wichmann of Vertex Companies, LLC (the Owner’s Project Manager) about recent issues concerning the replacement of the roof at the Amherst Regional Middle School (ARMS). The start of the school year for students in grades 6 through 8 was delayed three days because of leaks and health and safety concerns associated with the project.

Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman (Dr. Xi) shared information with families over several communications, starting with an August 19 notification of the delayed start to the school year. Since then, there have been reports of leaking in sections of the roof under repair as well as air quality testing. The RSC had a site visit with the project team on September 4 and questions submitted at that time were to be answered at the Sept. 8 meeting.

Sarahbess Kenney began by explaining public construction processes. She noted that the designers of the ARMS roof replacement project (T2 Architects) “are legally responsible for reviewing the completed work and ensuring the final product meets or exceeds the safety and building standards, regulations, and codes, in addition to the local building authority,” and that an OPM (Vertex) must oversee the project and “look out for the best interest of the Amherst-Pelham Public Schools and Massachusetts School Building Authority”,which funded much of the project. Kenney also said that the general roofing contractor on the project (Silktown Roofing) is certified by the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance. 

Wichmann said that he was there “to provide factual information regarding the construction project and the decisions and changed conditions that have been made that have influenced the project”, which he characterized as a “summer slammer” with respect to its short timeframe for construction.

Committee member Deb Leonard pointed out that the document with answers to the committee’s questions had only been posted that day, shortly before the meeting. Tim Shores pointed out that the RSC had been reassured before the project began that the project team was very familiar with school-related schedules, and noted that Wichmann’s description of “trying to fit 10 pounds of work into a 5 pound bag” differs from their previous statements. Shores also questioned whether the information about the delay to the start of school was conveyed in a timely manner.

Herman stated that when District administrators conducted a walk-through of the building on August 17, some of them experienced headaches and respiratory symptoms, prompting the decision to delay the start of school. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) testing was performed on August 20 and again on August 24. Herman also confirmed that she communicated to committee member Bridget Hynes in an August 3 email that the project was on time at that point. However, this was before learning that the new exhaust fans were not compatible with existing systems and would require additional electrical work to install and function properly. 

Shores said he was sympathetic about the late discovery of previously unknown asbestos in the rooftop exhaust systems, but questioned why the electrical issue was not known earlier. He was informed that Wichmann would address additional questions raised at this meeting in a future meeting.

Kenney provided some clarification, noting that the project has three different anticipated completion dates: September 19 for the roof above the classroom section, September 26 for the auditorium section, and September 30 for the gymnasium section. She also noted that these are dates when the project must be “substantially complete,” but the contractor has 30 more days to achieve total completion. Wichmann added that change orders for the asbestos abatement and electrical work to make the new fans compatible and confirm their effectiveness will impact the completion dates.

Sarah Marshall wanted to know the financial implications of these change orders and was reassured by Kenney that the approximately $400,000 contingency budget would cover the additional expenses.

Not discussed during the meeting were leaks that occurred on September 1 that were described in a communication from Herman as “connected to unfinished gutter, flashing, and drainage work”. In that email, Herman reported that “temporary waterproof coverings have been strengthened” but provided no further explanation about whether these leaks were avoidable or consistent with standard construction experience.  

Committee Chairperson William Sherr invited RSC members to share any additional questions with him and to expect answers from Wichmann, possibly at their September 22 meeting.

History
The ARMS roof has leaked for a long time, and plans for its replacement have spanned many years. In December 2017, the District received a report from Gale Associates concerning the replacement of the roof over the classroom and gymnasium sections of the expansive building, with an estimated cost of $2.5 million. A second study by Gale in 2022 estimated the replacement cost for the auditorium roof at $1.0 million. Instead of replacing the roof, the District decided to continue making repairs as needed and wait for acceptance into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) Accelerated Repair Program to receive state dollars to help fund the project. In 2024, the MSBA accepted the district’s application when the classroom and gymnasium roofs reached the age requirement for invitation into the program. By this time, the cost to replace these sections had risen to an estimated $10 million; the auditorium roof would cost an additional $1.6 million but was not eligible for MSBA funding because it was one year younger than the other sections.

The Regional School Committee decided in 2025 to replace the roof sections eligible for MSBA funding, but not the auditorium roof (which was ineligible because it was not old enough). The MSBA estimated its contribution at approximately $6 million, leaving $4 million to be covered by the Regional Towns (Amherst, Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury). In 2026, Amherst Town Council decided to use Amherst funds from “Free Cash” to fund the replacement of the auditorium roof rather than wait again for MSBA assistance. 

This means that the estimated four towns’ share of the roof replacement cost is now $5.6 million, at least $2 million more than if they had moved forward with the full roof replacement project in 2018 without state support.