The Tyrone Area School District Middle/High School renovation project won’t be completed until March at the soonest, according to the district’s superintendent.
The project was supposed to be completed by the end of January according to information in a recent school board agenda. However, board members were asked to approve certain changes orders that would move the completion date to March 10. The change orders were not expected to add additional costs to the project that is estimated at $10 million.
Dr. William N. Miller told The Daily Herald there were a couple of reasons for the delay. Those reasons included certain weather conditions and work on a floor. Miller noted that workers skilled in doing certain type of work had been in short supply and that created a delay.
Miller noted construction plans call for the use of the same type of floor that the district has in the hallways at the high school.
Miller pointed out the delay is “not really an issue.” He said at this point in doesn’t matter if the project takes another month or six weeks.
“We don’t plan to actually enter the building until the next school term,” said Miller. “There is significant leeway.”
Miller said it is possible the district could use the gymnasium prior to the beginning of the 2006-07 school year. He said the district wants “to be careful of weather conditions in terms of the floor because it will be a wooden floor in the gymnasium.”
He said there have been “no serious issues” and “very few change orders.” He said the change orders should be “way under what was projected” and should save the district some money.
The project is expected to increase the building by more than 59,000-square feet, which will include classrooms, a multi-purpose room/gymnasium, cafeteria, kitchen, two locker rooms, an art room and science lab room and a large group instruction room. The increase will amount to more than 25 percent of the current building size, according to previous information released by the district. Prior to the renovation and expansion project, the building was 221,845-square feet. The expansion will bring the building to around 280,000-square feet.
The project is also designed to create a middle school program with grades five through eight, which the district believes will provide a better educational opportunity to its students.
