Renovation ‘coming down to the wire’
An artist’s rendering of the new Carmichaels Area Middle-Senior High School building
Construction crews began working on the renovations in April 2014.
The renovation of Carmichaels Area Middle-Senior High School is “coming down to the wire,” the district superintendent said Friday, with students and staff expected to briefly share space with construction workers when school begins later this month.
Superintendent John Menhart met with the construction manager Friday morning for an update on the $20.4 million project, and while he expects school to begin on time Aug. 25, additional work will probably need to be completed while classes are in session.
“We’re going to get in,” he said. “It’s just going to coming down to the wire.”
He said the construction contractors are adding more workers and scheduling crews to perform work on the weekends to get the project finished as close to the completion date that was originally set for mid-August.
The age of the two schools brought “unforeseen challenges” as crews have opened up walls and moved forward with the construction process, he said. The junior high school was constructed in 1926 while the senior high was built in 1965.
“There’s always a concern because you never know what will happen, but right now, we’re on schedule to get (the students) in there,” he said. “We’ll have to co-inhabit areas with some of the construction crews as we did last year, but everything worked out fine and the students and staff were very cooperative and understanding.”
Even with crews still working in some sections of the building, Menhart said it will be not nearly as disruptive as last year when students were walking through active areas. Menhart expected they’ll check off a final “punch list” of projects in September.
He added the district is looking forward to putting the construction behind it and showcasing the schools to the community.
“The good thing this year is, when it’s over, it’s over,” Menhart said. “The shifts and trading places were difficult at times (last school year).”
The biggest changes students and parents will see this year is moving sixth-graders into the newly formed middle school and the creation of a pre-kindergarten program.
The project is still within budget, Menhart said, despite a series of change orders during the renovations that raised concerns to several board members earlier this year. Construction began in April 2014.
“We’re making that push and I think we’re going to be all right,” Menhart said. “Just trying to iron some things out.”