Wednesday, July 23, 2003
|
Wednesday, July 23, 2003 |
|
Crabapple 'miracle' hailed by Bd. of Ed. By J. FRANK LYNCH
Describing it as "a miracle," the Fayette County school board heard the news Monday that the new Crabapple Lane Elementary in Peachtree City will be ready for students on the first day of classes, Aug. 11. That's at least four months ahead of schedule, and despite the wettest spring ever. Board chair Terri Smith gave the credit to the system's construction manager, Klaus Darnell, who quickly passed it on to an aggressive contractor and just plain good luck. Things haven't been so fortunate at several other school building sites this summer. Darnell told the board that kitchen renovations and additions at both East Fayette and Fayetteville elementary schools have at least six more weeks until completion, and so meals for the first few weeks of classes will be prepared at the LaFayette Educational Center and trucked over each day. And workers at Whitewater High School hope to be able to finally pour the concrete floor of the physical education building on Thursday, something they've been trying to do since November, Darnell said. The foundation for the gym lies in the lowest part of the school campus, adjacent to Sarah Harp Minter Elementary on Ga. Highway 85 South, and the recent stretch of mostly dry weather has been the first chance for the muddy ground to dry out, Darnell said. "Everytime we'd get three or four days straight of dry weather and think we could do it, it would pour down rain again," he said. As long as the weather holds, Thursday will be a marathon day with at least two crews on site pouring the tons of concrete from opposite ends of the facility, Darnell explained. No one could really say why Crabapple got so lucky with the weather, but Darnell did point out that the size and scope of the projects can't compare. The board awarded the construction contract on Crabapple in June of last year, meaning it has taken just over 12 months to complete. Normally, such buildings have a 15-18 month construction window, board member Greg Powers said. Darnell reported that carpet is installed in most classrooms, the parking lots have been paved and striped, the air conditioning is functioning, and most landscaping is in place. He denied what he called a "vicious" rumor circulating among teachers Monday that they'd get to move into their new classrooms this week. Instead, he said teachers should have access on Aug. 2. Preplanning starts Monday, Aug. 4 and students report to class on Monday, Aug. 11. Had Crabapple not been completed by the start of the school year, as originally anticipated, students would have doubled-up at nearby Kedron Elementary. Kedron had been prepared to host the Crabapple students through December. Meanwhile, facilities manager Mike Satterfield assured students, parents and faculty that the McIntosh High parking lot reconstruction will be completed by the start of school. County employees have been working since the week school ended to reconfigure the old McIntosh parking areas, making more efficient use of the old faculty lot and reducing the number of student parking spots slightly. The change will make room for a new gym and other renovations. Darnell told the school board four contractors are expected to bid on the project. But 16 companies are expected to vie for the construction of an auditorium at Sandy Creek High, Darnell said. That project is significantly less complicated than the one at McIntosh, he explained, since the McIntosh work must be done in phases spanning two years and with minimal student interruptions. Bids on both the Sandy Creek and McIntosh expansions will be opened on July 31.
|
||