January 2009

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.