South San Francisco, CA July 29, 2021 by Jason Isberg
Hello Neighbors,
I have received many questions, and read many others on the Nextdoor platform, regarding the SFO Window Replacement Program so I wanted to provide everyone with an update.
This week, I spoke with C. Kell-Smith, the firm managing the project for SFO, to get a current status update so I could accurately report back to the community. Not everyone is looking at Nextdoor daily and may have missed the updates there.
The Window Replacement Program is indeed currently ongoing but is experiencing some slight delays. The sheer volume of applications that C. Kell-Smith has received to date has turned out to be much higher than they originally planned and budgeted for at the start of the program last year. That said, a pilot group of homes is currently in progress. This pilot group of homes has raised a few additional, but expected, issues that have slowed things down slightly. As we are all well aware, COVID-19 has had an impact on all of our lives and this program is no different. The pandemic and current inflationary pressures have caused construction bids and material costs to increase dramatically. SFO is addressing this by working with current contractors, as well as requesting new bids, in an effort to better control costs as the program progresses into the upcoming construction phases later this year. C. Kell-Smith is also working with SFO and other agencies to secure the additional funding that will be necessary to account for the rising costs.
So, where does that leave us today?
SFO reports: ‘$16,000,000 – the amount budgeted by SFO for 2019 – 2023 to install new double pane/high-performance glazed windows, doors, and ventilation systems for eligible homes under our Sound Insulation Program.’
If you acted early and submitted your application on the early side of program initiation and have had all of your home inspections done, reports completed, signed and returned then your property is still essentially on track with a minimal delay of a few months past where you were originally scheduled. The first group of homes is now scheduled to begin this December or January dependent on materials availability. Given that construction is planned to happen in groups of homes, everyone’s timeline will differ depending on what group your home is placed in. Homeowners will be notified by C. Kell-Smith regarding their specific timeline, with the full program running through 2022 and into 2023.
As for the more recent applicants to the program, the delay may be a bit longer for you. SFO and C. Kell-Smith are working diligently to review a large volume of applications, and will then reach out to homeowners with next steps. For this group, site inspections will still have to be scheduled and completed. So, if you have not yet had your home inspection done, stay patient while they continue to work through all applications and get things scheduled. After the completion of your inspection, you will be provided with an inspection report to review. This report must then be approved by the homeowner, signed, notarized and returned to C. Kell-Smith. Actual construction will then be scheduled for your groups at that time.
I’ll continue to provide any updates and progress reports as appropriate and useful. If there are any questions in the meantime, you can reach out to me and I’ll answer them (or get answers) if I can. I can be reached at jmisberg@gmail.com. Please put SFO Windows in the subject line so I know what it’s regarding.
Jason Isberg
South San Francisco
NOTE: See Jason’s previous updates