Wednesday, December 27, 2000
|
Wednesday, December 27, 2000 |
|
Work set to begin on Whitewater Middle School
By PAT NEWMAN
New classroom space to relieve overcrowding at Whitewater Middle School is on the way. The Fayette County Board of Education Thursday accepted a $1.6 million construction bid to get the project underway. The bid to build 26,589 square feet of added classroom and planning space was submitted by MEJA Construction Co. of Fayetteville. School facilities director Mike Satterfield said he expects on-site work to begin as early as February. According to Satterfield, there were eight bidders for the project, six coming within $100,000 of the $1.8 million to $1.9 million range. MEJA's low bid of $1.6 million was the result of good prices submitted by subcontractors, he said. Flat Rock Middle School's addition, completed this year, was also done by MEJA. Satterfield estimated the work will take approximately a year, once the preliminaries such as blueprints, septic tank work and site clearing are completed. Plans call for additions on the three wings of the school. Each section will house five regular classrooms, one science classroom and one teacher planning room. The project is being paid for with state growth funds totaling about $4 million for additions to three middle schools, including Whitewater. The local share should be less than originally expected because additional money has been reallocated by the legislature, Satterfield noted. Initial drawings for Fayette Middle School's addition are expected within two to three weeks, Satterfield said, with J.C. Booth's addition plans expected four weeks later. Sewer line improvements made by the city of Fayetteville may result in some disturbed pavement at East Fayette Elementary during the winter break. Apparently, the line laid in the 1950s has been the cause of some sewage backups due to its configuration and encroaching tree roots.
|
||