Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:20:52 -0500
From: Gene Galin
Subject: New NE Chatham middle school to open in November 2010
Pittsboro, NC – Chatham County Schools will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, January 29, at 9 a.m. for the new middle school that will be in the Briar Chapel development.
Directions: From Hwy. 15-501 north of Fearrington Village, turn left on Andrews Store Rd. Turn right at the Briar Chapel construction entrance that is the first (gravel) road past Woods Charter School.
The new middle school is slated to open in November 2010.
Here is the timeline:
Site work begins 1/20/2009
Groundbreaking ceremony 1/29/2009 9am
Bids for construction advertised 2/22/2009
Bids due back to architect 3/26/2009
Present bids to BOE/BOC 4/2/2009
Award contract 4/13/2009
Anticipated completion of site work 5/20/2009
Start construction 5/29/2009
Substantial completion 9/17/2010
Punchlist complete/furniture move-in complete 11/3/2010
Occupancy 11/4/2010
See conversation about the new middle school on the bulletin board at http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,10127.15.html including this note from Chatham County School Board member Gerald Totten
The last thing I wanted as a Board of Education member to go through another school opening into the school year like Virginia Cross Elementary experienced. All plans were that the middle school would be substantially ready by the summer of 2010 then the furnishings, fixtures and equipment would be installed in time for the school to open in August 2010. We were ready to go so that the original schedule could be met.
*THEN the project was put on hold by the financial markets*, over which no one locally involved could control. The middle school has been a number one priority at the schools as well as at the Board of Commissioners. As soon as the financial markets opened a little, the Board of Commissioners jumped right in and arranged for the financing.
To be sure, I am as disappointed as is everyone else at the delay but to tweak local officials for causing it is not justified. The plans now are to do all we can and, if the weather holds out, we may yet make the original goal. The site preparation can be done in the cold but not in the mud. The site prep contractor has been given the go ahead and will start in early
February. If February is a dry month and if all the planets and stars line up, we might make the August 2010 opening. Maybe we need all fingers crossed for a decent and dry winter to make all this happen.
Redistricting is not on the table at the present time.
Gerald Totten