WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Building Committee on Wednesday made its choice for an owner's project manager to help guide the district through the Massachusetts School Building Authority process.

 

The OPM is required by state law on all building projects estimated to cost $1.5 million or more. It provides advice to the district and oversight of the designer and general contractor if any ultimately is hired to repair, renovate or rebuild the junior-senior high school.

 

"This is very good news," Mount Greylock Superintendent Rose Ellis said about Wednesday's' vote. "We've been working on [the MSBA feasibility study] diligently on the fast track for only about two months."

 

The Building Committee picked Dore & Whittier Management Partners of Newburyport from among 12 applicants who met the deadline of the district's request for services.

 

The OPM selection subcommittee of the Building Committee interviewed eight of those 12 applicants and, based on those interviews, sent three names to the full committee.

 

The other two names on the short list were Strategic Building Solutions of Agawam, which is owner's project manager on the Monument Mountain project in Great Barrington and Colegrove Park Elementary School in North Adams, and Arcadis U.S. in Braintree.

 

"It was close," Ellis said. "We felt we had an excellent pool — a response of 12 firms for our rural area was quite good news.

 

"The scoring was close. We felt all three [of the finalists] were highly competent and capable. They all gave comprehensive presentations. We presented a series of questions ahead of time and asked them to address those in their presentations, which they did."

 

The next step in the process is for the MSBA to give its blessing to the Mount Greylock Building Committee's selection. Ellis said she and a delegation of committee members, along with representatives from Dore & Whittier, are scheduled to meet in Boston with the state authority on Nov. 3.

 

Like other candidates in the process, Dore & Whittier meets specific requirements outlined by the MSBA, she said. It also has local experience in Williamstown.

 

"Dore & Whittier is someone who knows the district well," Ellis said. "They developed a feasibility study for Mount Greylock in 2005. ... We've worked with them on the [Statement of Interest to the MSBA]. They've been very interested in this district."

 

Assuming Dore & Whittier gets the OK from MSBA, its first major task will be helping the district pick an architect who will develop options for either repair or replacement of the aging, dysfunctional school building.

 

"At that point, we become more closely involved with MSBA," Ellis said. "They pick the architect. We participate in the process, but the way it's designed is the OPM decision is locally driven, but the designer selection is done by MSBA.

 

"Picking the OPM was a milestone for us."