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| YOUR TOWN: Caroline | Culpeper | King George | Fredericksburg | Orange | Spotsylvania | Stafford | Westmoreland | |
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HIGH SCHOOL DELAYED
Move to new King George high school delayed until Jan. 22 with doubts of November completion
Date published: 10/16/2008 Students and teachers anxious to move into the new King George High School will have to wait until after the New Year. Yesterday the School Board decided to push back the date for moving in from next month to Jan. 22 to accommodate ongoing work at the $40.7 million facility. The first day of classes would be Feb. 2, following a one-week break at the high school so teachers can transition out of the current building. URS Corporation construction managers and a county inspector told officials about essentials for an occupancy permit and other outstanding work that would bring the facility to completion. Once all life-safety features, such as emergency exits, are functional, the county can issue a temporary occupancy permit; the inspector noted that at this time there are a few such issues left. URS Project Manager Jim Staley said there was still a substantial punch-list of work for every room in the building. That list includes smaller non-essential problems such as replacing cracked tiles and cleaning up small spots of dried concrete. Other bigger problems are also pending completion. Board members indicated they wanted the building entirely complete before moving teachers and students in. They cited potential safety issues with unfinished work and workers in the building, and possible disruptions to classes. They voted unanimously to change the move-in date to January instead of Nov. 3; member Sherrie Allwine was absent. "We've all been waiting way too long for this thing; we want it right when we walk in the door," said Chairman Dennis Paulsen. "We don't want a smudge against this school whatsoever." Principal Todd Satterwhite said while the current facility is crowded, he did not think the delay would negatively impact student instruction or be problematic for SOL testing. Superintendent Candace Brown said families who scheduled vacation time around the original calendar year would be accommodated. Staley noted that the contractual substantial completion date for the building is Oct. 24 with a final completion date of Nov. 10. If the builder surpasses those dates without finishing the necessary work, the company faces past-schedule fines ranging from $500 to $750 per day. Board member Payne Kilbourn called the amounts "ludicrous and disgraceful," saying there was no incentive aside from reputation to finish on time. He wants to reconsider the fees for future projects. After the meeting, Staley said the replacement of the roof and installation of structural steel in the auditorium were both under way. This summer officials worried those two projects might slow progress but held out hope for a November opening. Corey Byers: 540/735-1976
Read more stories about King George Date published: 10/16/2008
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