F.A. March Elementary is on track; however, the schedule is still very tenuous. The Contractors are making good progress and the weather has been cooperating over the past several weeks. The brick restoration is complete and re-pointing should be finished by mid-May. The scaffolding will be removed and reconstruction of the landscaping will begin. Inside the building, painting millwork and final finishes have started. The progress will continue from the top floor down and final cleaning and moving will follow in sequence by the district. Rooms are slowly taking shape with floor refinishing, ceiling grids, terminal HVAC equipment, and new visual display surfaces. The building looks a bit of a mess – however, I usually equate that to the darkness before the dawn. As the contractors finalize work in particular areas, they will move out taking the debris with them.

The Shawnee Elementary school continues to track sufficiently with the schedule. Classrooms within the existing building are being outfitted with casework, visual display boards and are ready for final floor finishes. Terrazzo installation is beginning in the public areas and corridors, and major system startups should begin by the end of the month. On the outside of the building, new doors and windows are nearing completion, the final brick veneer is being installed and landscaping should begin within a week or so.

It seems that although we started off the month of February with a relatively warm week, the remainder of the month brought us extreme cold temperature interspersed with periods of precipitation. Despite this, the roofers on both projects managed to get many critical areas covered by working through the weather regardless of the day. They even worked Saturdays and Sundays when possible. To top off the weather story March has lived up to its billing by coming in like a lion and covering us with a good snow. The good news seems to be that we are expecting some warmer temps in the next few weeks and hopefully spring will keep coming.

The F.A. March Elementary project has seen some significant headway over the past several weeks. The ceiling/roof structural issue was fully repaired, the new walls have all been framed and the exterior of the new addition was enclosed. With the structural repairs complete, all of the contractors have gotten on their schedule of completing the building from the top down. Plaster repair and patching is underway and it looks great! Drywall is being hung and all of the new services are being run into the classrooms. The project is still not out of the woods regarding the schedule; however, the current pace is promising. If the weather cooperates and progress continues, a positive determination may be made early next month.

Shawnee Elementary School continues on a positive track. Significant progress has been made in the existing building which includes the start of painting and installation of ceiling grids. Some positive progress has been made with roofing including three of the new additions. The classroom additions are progressing well which includes completion of underground plumbing, pouring of concrete slabs and installation of studs and drywall for the partition walls. Regarding the building systems, a majority of the rooftop mechanical units have been set, the sprinkler system is largely complete and electrical work is on track.

The upcoming month will be an exciting one for both projects. We all need to keep hoping for good weather and close cooperation from everyone involved with the project.

Finally, I have a special THANK YOU from all the contractors to the PTA of both Projects. Moms, Dads and even a few kids came to the jobsites with coffee and doughnuts for the workers. Everyone had a great time and a great break!!

Unfortunately the New Year did not bring any new weather along.  We continue to be plagued with difficult conditions.  It seems that if it is not snowing or raining, the temperatures are far below normal.  As a result of this, the crews have gone indoors as much as possible and are “tenting-in” critical areas so they can continue working.  As you will notice, most of this months photos address indoor work.

The March project, with the exception of some newly discovered structural issues, is coming along nicely.  The MEP (Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing) crews are hard at work filling the ceilings with duct, conduit cable tray and piping.  All of the new doors have been cut into the old walls, and connections are being completed between the new addition and existing structure.  Our most significant milestone for this month is the completion of the façade restoration at the main entrance of the building.  Based on the poor nature of it’s condition, the entire area had to be disassembled and reconstructed.  The construction tent should be coming down by the end of the month and for the first time since construction began, the entire Reeder Street side of the building will be revealed.

The new elementary school formerly known as Paxinosa continues to run well.  All foundation and steel work is 100% complete and the wall crews are rushing to close in all 4 of the new additions.  The administration wing is awaiting its glass curtain wall which will certainly provide an updated look to the facility, and sheathing is being added to the classroom wings.  Roofing replacement has stalled due to weather conditions, however; that has not kept interior construction at bay.  All of the floors have been shot-blasted for new finishes, tracks for sliding doors have been installed, and with a few more weeks of drywall finishing, painting will begin in earnest.  Permanent heating equipment is also being installed in many classrooms.  Everyone in the district needs to help us out by hoping for good weather in February!  We have all had enough snow and cold!  Finishing the roof 100% will be our next big milestone and will help keep the project running snag-free.

As the winter months approach, there is always a lot of sleep lost worrying about the weather and how it will affect progress; this year is no exception.  Below average low temperatures hit early this year and came in with a good deal of moisture.  The contractors have been juggling tasks to avoid delays as much as possible and have been working feverishly to get the buildings enclosed or protected so that work can continue.  It is impressive how dedicated and hearty most of the work crews are, and I’m sure they will continue to work through whatever Mother Nature dishes out this winter.

The March project hit some important milestones this month.  New foundations have been completed and as of a few days ago, steel is swinging.  By the time this update is read, a majority of the steel work will be completed and it should only be a few short weeks before the building is enclosed and ready for new interiors. Masonry restoration work is proceeding a little more slowly than expected due to weather and continued discovery of existing building deterioration.  (All three main entrances of the building had to be completely dismantled and rebuilt. This was in lieu of a simpler “re-facing” that we were hoping to be able to accomplish.)  Either way, there should be agreement that the end result of the work is nothing short of spectacular as can be seen in the progress photos.  Installation of new windows should be about 50% complete by years end and will provide an original look that the architect intended almost 100 years ago. 

The elementary school formerly known as Paxinosa continues to proceed smoothly.  The foundation work will be complete this week and the final steel erection for the two classroom wings will be wrapped up by month’s end.  Roofing replacement has begun and it has given way to interior reconstruction.  The first of the original classroom pods has new walls complete with insulation and drywall.  The other pods will follow closely behind.  Within a few weeks, the exterior stud walls will be installed in the new additions and all of the Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing crews will be moving into those areas to begin their infrastructure work.  For the time being, they are content to work in the heated portions of the original building where ductwork, wiring and plumbing installations are being completed well ahead of schedule.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy new year to all the residents and our friends at Easton Area School District! 

We had an extremely busy summer considering all the active projects in the district. The running track at the Easton Area High School was renovated with a new synthetic surface, the Easton Area Academy got a new roof as well as its third and final phase of upgrades. The old Easton Area Middle School was converted to an elementary school for March and Paxinosa students, the Middle School Campus was completed, the Easton Area Public Library got a new roof and finally additions and renovations were started on March and Paxinosa.

The March project was off and running first and, as with any building that has seen nearly a century of service, we discovered some minor issues which were quickly overcome through the cooperation of the school board, city, neighbors and contractors. This project included some initial masonry restoration which got underway on day 1 to clear areas for the new addition. Today a majority of the interior and exterior demolition is complete and the process of rebuilding has begun. The foundation work should be completed by mid-November at which time new steel will start swinging! With any luck and continued mild weather, the building should be ready for temporary heat and interior before winter sets in.

Paxinosa has been smooth sailing since construction began. The interior demolition proceeded quickly and partitions for new classrooms are well underway.Outside the building; the new storm sewer has been completed and all four additions are underway. The new administration wing has a new steel framework and the New Cafeteria frame will begin next week.The two classroom wings should be framed and enclosed by the New Year! Back inside; electric, plumbing and ductwork have begun and will follow the progress of new wall construction.

Visit the "Friends of March" Gallery for additional photos.