Construction is ongoing across the Beverly Hills Unified School District, with major renovations to Beverly Hills High School performing arts facilities scheduled for completion in 2025. (photo by Joey Waldinger)

Consulting and management firm Fonder-Salari, which became bond manager of the Beverly Hills Unified School District’s construction projects in July, gave a broad update of its progress during a Jan. 31 district board meeting.

“There’s been a lot of great work that’s been done and I’m very proud of our team,” BHUSD assistant superintendent of business services Raphael Guzman said. “We’re very excited to be here with Fonder-Salari … and everything we’ve been able to do throughout these last couple of months.”

Construction of the five buildings comprising the El Rodeo Elementary School is scheduled for completion in June 2024 and is currently under budget, project manager Saeeid Shakeri said.

Ongoing work includes the installation of ceiling gridlines, the installation of window frames and drywall, and painting in some classrooms, Shakeri said. Workers are also installing wooden ceiling tiles, and coordinating with SoCalGas and city of Beverly Hills staff to complete the school’s utility installations, he added.

The firm expects to finish construction of the school by June 30, 2024. It has a current budget of approximately $165 million, under the original budget estimate of $166 million, Shakeri said.

At Beverly Hills High School, Fonder-Salari is preparing for the procurement phase of Building C, which is not yet under construction and will house classrooms and athletic facilities, executive vice president Amin Salari said.

Salari said the firm already has approval from the Division of the State Architects to begin procurement, and will be able to start construction after receiving clearance from the Department of Toxic Substances, which he anticipates will be received by the end of the year.

In the meantime, the firm will compile project specific qualifications and invite pre-qualified contractors to bid on the project. Once the procurement phase has finished, construction is estimated to conclude in 2026 and estimated at approximately $56 million, he said. The estimated project budget is approximately $76 million, he added.

Fonder-Salari is also leading a major retrofitting of the Peters Auditorium and the Salter Theater Building at Beverly Hills High School.

“Basically, the shells are remaining, but everything else is being rebuilt, including foundational elements in both walls and the roofs,” BHUSD board president Noah Margo said.

Construction teams are planning to pour concrete in February, and are preparing to install metal stead framing, windows, utility and plumbing appliances, said project manager Elliot Meier.

Structural work has been completed in the chorus room, and construction crews are adding walkways that will connect the buildings to the street below. Fonder-Salari is also soliciting input from teachers and other school staff, Meier added.

“They are the ones who are going to be using the space when we’re all done. … If there are changes we can do now, we want to implement those so they can have the best experience possible when they’re in their rooms,” Meier said.

A project at Rodeo Elementary School is currently ongoing and is expected to be completed next year. (rendering courtesy of BHUSD)

Work on the facilities is expected to conclude in June 2025, and the project is estimated to cost approximately $129 million, according to the progress report.

After the construction update, the board approved a $114,000 amendment to a 2020 contract with Leighton Consulting Services Inc. for geotechnical investigation and reporting services related to the construction of the theater and auditorium.

The contract amendment, which covers an expanded scope of works, comes after the board approved an amendment on June 16 of $134,739, according to a staff report.

With the two amendments, the original contract for geotechnical services signed in January 2020 for $290,558 has increased to $539,705.

Guzman said the project requires more geotechnical observation and soil testing than was originally intended. The expanded scope of works includes further air quality testing and “supplemental geotechnical exploration” of an abandoned Venoco oil tanker, he added.

“What happened was the foundation was not where the plan had originally specified it would be,” Guzman said. “And so, because of that, [Leighton Consulting] had to dig deeper.”