Superintendent's Blog

March 16–Great Weather….Great Progress!

GPalmer — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:49:47 +0000

The continued excellent weather is allowing a great deal of progress to be made by the contractors. Mosser Construction was able to pour the slab in the front area of the building (Area B — Administrative Area) and plans to pour the south section of the building (Area C — Elementary) beginning next week. With the slabs complete, the masons are able to set scaffolding and really make considerable progress as the pictures show.

Note: New pictures are posted from March 14 as well as today.

March 14 — Progress Being Made

GPalmer — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:26:07 +0000

The contractors are really taking advantage of the great weather over the past couple of days. The block walls on the north wing (Area A — HS/MS) are progressing well and the outline of this wing is beginning to take shape. We have posted more updated pictures. Don’t forget about the Live Construction Webcam option always available to you as well.

North Classroom Wing (High School-Middle School)

March 7 — Walls Going Up!

GPalmer — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:33:26 +0000

With the weather working to our advantage, the masons made significant progress on the block walls for the north end of the new building (HS/MS area). The concrete slab that was poured late last week now has visible walls for both outside walls of this wing.

As you drive by, be sure to glance over and take a look. Also, don’t forget about the option to click the “Live Construction Webcam” tab above to watch the work in progress.

Work Becomes Visible!

GPalmer — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:22:45 +0000

Despite the ongoing rainy weather conditions, the contractors’ work is now beginning to start above ground. As you can see from the picture below, the foundations are now complete with underground mechanical, plumbing and electrical work completed in most areas as well. The next plans call for the slab to be poured for the north academic wing (Area A — High School/Middle School). Once the slab is poured and ready, the masons will then begin laying the block for the first floor walls. Be sure to check the Construction Photos link above for additional pictures.

January 13, 2012

GPalmer — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:10:05 +0000

Even as the winter weather appears to be settling in, our contractors continue to keep the project on schedule. The unseasonable weather of the past couple of weeks has certainly helped offset the rainy days of early December. The project schedule will soon be posted in the school offices. Feel free to take a look if you are in the building.

Work completed to date includes: Footings for all building sections except for the kitchen, which is about half completed. Foundation block is now completed for three areas of the building. Work also continues on the underground water tank that is a required part of the fire suppression system. Good news associated with these tasks is that we have not encountered any further issues, so far, with “unsuitable soil” or quicksand. As mentioned in some earlier posts the south parking areas required the use of some of the project contingency funds to stabilize those areas. With only a couple of small areas yet remaining for underground work, we hope to avoid any further issues.

December 20, 2011

GPalmer — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:06:35 +0000

Even though, to date, we have lost about 25% of the works days on this portion of the construction project due to inclement weather, Mosser Construction and the other contractors continue to make headway on the project. Work completed so far includes:

the North Wing (Area A) footings and subgrade masonry
the West Wing, South Wing and Main Gym areas footings
the Auxillary Gym and Auditeria/Music areas footings are partially completed

We are very grateful to our contractors for their hard work as they are currently ahead of our original schedules!

I would also point out that the Construction Photos section of this blog have been updated today. You can now access many more still pictures of the project from its start through current progress as well as a slide show of all the pictures. Please make sure you take a look!

December 15

GPalmer — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:22:56 +0000

Even though the wet weather continues, the contractors are finding work that can be done in the conditions. Foundation footings have been poured for over half of the building so far, with the subgrade concrete block masonry quickly following behind.

The temporary construction fencing has been installed around the building area and plans are in place for a security camera to be installed at the site to help prevent theft or vandalism.

December 7

GPalmer — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:54:16 +0000

The workers from Mosser Construction continue to make progress on the foundations and footer walls over the past several days, despite the wet weather. The temporary construction fencing work is also starting, with a target of being done by the end of next week. This fencing will secure the site during the project and be removed once construction is completed.

As with most projects of this size, it seems there are some rumors circulating about finances surrounding the project. As stated in earlier posts, the project came in slightly over estimate on bid day but under the total budget for the project. During the early site work, some areas of ”unsuitable soils” were encountered. These “unsuitable” areas were too sandy for the construction planned and, therefore, needed to be stabilized so that they would withstand the actual construction and also hold up over years of future use. It was agreed to use a “cement stabilization” process on these areas. This process is complete and was funded through the project contingency fund at a cost of around $120,000. While this cost is high, it was necessary to insure not only that the project could continue on schedule, but also so to help the long term durability of the parking and drive areas.

To summarize some of the other questions asked about the project finances: We are on budget and moving forward using the project funding methods recommended by our bond underwriters and agreed to by the Board of Education. By using the funding selected, we were able to finance the entire project at around 2.9% interest, saving the district’s taxpayers about $8 million in interest. We truly have a great deal and will have a great building in the fall of 2013!

Groundbreaking

GPalmer — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:49:14 +0000

Despite the uncooperative weather, the Groundbreaking Ceremony on November 22, 2011 was a huge success. The entire student body was joined in the event by several members of the community including local governmental officials, business owners, alumni and former employees and board members. Highlights included the playing of the band and singing of the choir. It was a memorable day and one of which we can all be very proud!

Photo courtesy of the Advertiser-Tribune

November 17–Groundbreaking

GPalmer — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:00:15 +0000

Plans have been finalized for next week’s Groundbreaking Ceremony. The event will start at 2:15 and should last about 30 minutes, with the following schedule being followed:

National Anthem

Hopewell-Loudon Band and Choir

Welcome and Guest Speakers
Ceremonial Dig #1 — School Staff, Students and Community
Ceremonial Dig #2 — Board of Education and others
Closing Comments
Hopewell-Loudon Alma Mater

Hopewell-Loudon Band and Choir

Hopewell-Loudon Fight Song

Please make plans to be a part of this historic event!