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Wednesday, 26 March 2008 |
Project representative says planned schools ready in 2010
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
A project supervisor for the construction management company overseeing building and renovation projects Tuesday presented a tentative timeline to Wapakoneta City Schools Board of Education members.
Bob Sewell, project executive for the Westerville-based firm Gilbane Building Company, said his staff began work immediately on the project in December after they were hired.
“We’re very excited to be a part of this,” Sewell said.
He said communication would be key to a successful building program and members of his firm realizes this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the district.
“We’re going to give it our best team effort,” Sewell said.
In presenting board members with a tentative timeline for the district’s four buildings, he said they were just preliminary construction schedules. In the plans presented Tuesday night, each building’s timeline was a page. Sewell said more detailed schedules, several pages in length, would be developed as the project moves forward.
“They will be much more detailed,” Sewell said. “We realize that time is money as you deal with construction and escalating costs. It’s important to stay on schedule and stay focused.”
Cridersville is planned to be the first school where construction will begin, according to preliminary plans. Ground is expected to be broken at the Reichelderfer Road site in mid-September to early October.
Completion is scheduled for June 2010, allowing the district the entire summer to move into the new building, Sewell said.
Ground breaking at the new Wapakoneta Elementary School is scheduled for shortly after Cridersville, probably to be completed by mid-November, according to preliminary plans.
Sewell said the project should be complete by July 2010, allowing a month between its completion date and Cridersville’s and giving district staff some space between move-ins.
Renovations at Wapakoneta Middle School are scheduled to start at the end of February or beginning of March 2009 with most of the work done during the summers of 2009 and 2010.
Sewell said renovations are scheduled to take place while the building is occupied, but that efforts would be made to have as much construction as possible take place when students are not there.
He said by scheduling the start date of the project earlier in the year, all materials should be ready to go when the summer starts, rather than having to wait around before construction could begin.
Sewell said work should be complete by the end of summer 2010.
Renovations and additions at Wapakoneta High School are scheduled to be underway by the spring of 2009, again so the project is ready to begin when summer comes, Sewell said.
Due to the addition, work there will be more extensive and require more work outside of the summer, according to the plan.
Sewell said the construction team will work with administrators to ensure that both are accomplishing what they need with students in the building.
Work at the high school is expected to be complete by August 2010.
“The plan is to start the 2010-2011 school year with campus wide new facilities,” Sewell said. “The schedule will be fluid as we go, but it will all come together as long as we keep our eyes on the prize.”
In explaining his company’s role in the project, Sewell said they are a full-service construction management firm with at least six people on site to assist in quality control, safety and making sure materials arrive on time.
“Once we break ground, this becomes our baby,” Sewell said. “We’ll make sure the project is on time and high quality.”
A full-time project manager, Brian Schiffer, plans to be assigned to the project and he will be assisted by a full-time staff.
Sewell said while his staff will be actively involved in the project, decisions will still be left up to district officials.
“This is your guys’ building project,” Sewell said. “We’re just here to represent you. You’ll get to make most of the decisions, we’ll just present the best options for cost and time.”
In other related business, the board approved a resolution relating to the $10 million project budget, schedule and requirements for Wapakoneta Middle School.
During February’s meeting, which was rescheduled to earlier this month, the board approved budgets, schedules and requirements as they related to the two new elementary schools.
“We’re still in the very initial planning stages,” Superintendent Keith Horner said. “This outlines square footage and other basic items. It does not talk about design at this time.” |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 March 2008 )
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