Classes will start later for students at the Upper Elementary School than for the rest of the district, as workers complete the renovations of the heating and ventilation system at the building.
By:Nick D’Amore
Classes will start later for students at the Upper Elementary School than for the rest of the district, as workers complete the renovations of the heating and ventilation system at the building.
Delays in the installation of a heating, ventilation and air condition unit means the school will open Sept. 10, rather than the Sept. 6 opening date for the rest of district.
"By design, certain elements of the addition are not finished yet," said Maribeth Edmunds, administrative assistant to the central office.
Jeff Scott, assistant superintendent of business, said the primary reason for the delay is the renovation of the school’s heating and ventilation system, which requires new drop ceilings to be installed, new duct work and rooftop units.
"The UES renovation is on a very aggressive timetable," said Mr. Scott.
The addition calls for the construction of two cafeterias, one of which will not be finished until November, said Mr. Scott.
"But we knew that from the outset because the foundation couldn’t be built until school let out."
Ms. Edmunds said students will make up the missed days of Sept. 6 and Sept. 7 on Nov. 2 and March 1.
"We really thought we would make the deadline. The addition is over 90 percent complete," she said.
The addition is part of a $46.99 million bond referendum approved in 1999. It calls for 11 classrooms, two new cafeterias, two music rooms, a computer lab, two science labs and an auditorium.
The auditorium in the addition also will not be finished by the district’s first day of school, said Mr. Scott.
For that reason, he said, the school also needs a temporary certificate of occupancy for the school.
"It’s temporary, meaning that since the auditorium isn’t completed, we don’t have occupancy of the entire building," said Mr. Scott, adding that it should be completed by end of September.
Mr. Scott said UES also will need a certificate of acceptance for the existing building. It does not need a certificate of occupancy because it is an existing building.
"We had until the time school closed until the end of August to get the work completed. We assessed the amount of work that needs to be done and determined that we needed a couple more days to ensure a certificate of acceptance," said Mr. Scott.