November 8th 2011 marked the date our community approved the bond issue to fund the construction of our new elementary schools. Nothing is more precious than a child’s education and by funding the construction project our citizens showed a desire to give our children the quality schools they deserve while providing real economic stimulus for our community.
I am happy to share our construction team held the first “close-out” partnership meeting this week with all of the construction contractors involved with our building project! Our “opportunity of a lifetime” is quickly coming to fruition! Planning close-out is the signal that our new schools will be occupied by our students in the very near future!
Springcreek and Washington Primary Schools are both nearing 87% completion. While work is on-going, major construction items such as flooring installment will be wrapping up in October and November. Site work around the buildings including top soil distribution, grass seeding, sidewalks, asphalt and concrete driveways and parking lots will be finished this fall. Final commissioning work for all of our mechanical systems will also be taking place during the next several months. Our contractors are beginning to develop their punch lists which will serve as the guide for the remainder of the work to be completed.
As construction enters the completion stages we begin the process of filling the primary buildings with the furniture needed for learning to take place. Loose furnishings including desks, chairs, tables and cafeteria furniture will be delivered by November. Technology including telephones, classroom computers and pen/touch sensitive interactive projectors are being installed. Amazingly, we anticipate students to be learning in their new Springcreek and Washington classrooms in January!
The construction of our new Piqua Central Intermediate School which will house our 4-6 graders is 53% complete. Our goal is to have the entire building completely enclosed before winter and our construction team is working hard to meet this milestone. Roofing installation is almost complete and will be finished by the end of September. Brick masonry will continue through October and into November with the goal of having window installation completed before the winter. Once enclosed our interior work will progress. The building will be complete for the opening of the 2015-16 school year!
We stress excellence and value at Piqua City Schools. Currently our building project is on schedule and within budget! Throughout this building project we have stayed our course to uphold our responsibility to be good stewards. We have also enjoyed working with many local and regional companies which has provided a stimulus to our local economy. We greatly appreciate and thank the men and women associated with all of our construction companies who have been a part of our project!
I want to extend an invitation to all of our community to participate in our Washington Primary School Community Construction Tour on Sunday, September 28th from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the construction site. Because this is a live construction site, tours are only open to adults and children age 10 and over. The construction site is not currently handicap accessible. Our Piqua City Schools Junior Builders Club members will be leading the tours to provide our community an opportunity to see the building while still a work in progress.
I am extremely excited to announce and ask everyone to please mark your calendar for Sunday December 7th for the dedication of two of our new buildings. The Springcreek Primary School Dedication will be held on-site at 2:00 pm followed by the Washington Primary School Dedication held on-site at 3:30 pm. This day will serve as a celebration of our community coming together to provide great educational buildings for the youth of our community! We Are Piqua!