New High School Building Taking Shape

With 18-wheel dump trucks, two huge cranes, front end loaders and bulldozers buzzing about, construction site looks like something straight out of a young boy's dreams.

The area is a beehive of activity these days, with materials being delivered, concrete foundations being poured, and structural steel being hoisted into place.

More than 50 workers are on site daily, and the project remains on time for a September 2012 opening of the new school, according to Peter Collins, senior associate with Heery International, the project management firm hired by the town to oversee the construction project.

"At present, 40 percent of the building has been erected," Collins said. "We expect to have all the steel up by July first and we should have the (exterior) building envelope complete by this fall."

The project is divided into four segments, or four adjacent buildings. Building A will house the gymnasium and it sits at the east end of the  construction site, closest to the rear of the existing school building. Building B houses the cafeteria and the media center, and buildings C and D are multi-story classroom and administrative areas.

CTA Construction of Waltham, the general contractor that has started in reverse, assembling buildings C and D first. Starting in reverse order will help get the project done on time, according to Collins.

"Buildings C and D are three-story buildings and they have the most work opportunities for other trades," Collins said. "Soon, buildings C and D will open up a tremendous amount of work for multiple trades. All the plumbers, the electricians, the floor finishers, the ceiling guys, the window guys and the masons are about to go to work."

At present, approximately 50 workers are on site every day, and that number is expected to rise to 125 or so within a month. Concrete flooring slabs will be poured next week, and after that, subcontractors will flock to the site, Collins said.

Collins credited the project's general contractor, CTA Construction of Waltham, and Glavine Construction of Billerica, the project's concrete contractor, with keeping the project on schedule this winter. In spite of the inclement weather, CTA, Glavine and R.A Powell Sand & Stone of Lunenburg met all deadlines.

"The contractor did well," Collins said. "He's a seasoned contractor and he has a great subcontractor in Glavine. They continued to work throughout the winter months even though the conditions were not ideal."

The possibility of bad weather delaying the project is all but behind them, according to Collins.

"We fully expect to have a tight building envelope for the upcoming winter season." Collins said. "After that, we won't have to worry about the weather."

The only delay in the building's progress so far has been minor. Unsuitable soil was discovered at the site and had to be excavated before foundations could be laid.

"Even though this is a model school being replicated from Hudson, no site is a model site," Collins explained. "We found some unsuitable soil where the old running track was that had a lot of organics in it, some roots and things of that nature. But the contractor stepped up some of his resources and took care of it."

So far, the construction project and the existing high school's daily operations have been able to coexist peacefully, with neither causing a major inconvenience to the other.

"We're fortunate that we could install an access road that keeps the construction traffic separated," Collins said. "We're separated by fencing that allows the construction activities to continue without disturbing school activities. I think the project benefited due to the size of the (55-acre) campus."

The new building does sit on land formerly occupied by the high school track and field stadium, and the former student parking lot. But the contractors were able to clear the land behind the existing school that will eventually be the site of two new athletic fields, and a temporary parking lot was constructed there.

At present, there is more than sufficient parking for all students and teachers on the high school campus.

"There's not a lot of interference with the school right now," Collins said. "They're running normally and we're running normally."

September 2012 will mark the opening of the new building, but the entire project will not be complete until August of 2013. After classes are moved into the new building, the old building will be demolished and parking lots and playing fields will be constructed where the current school once stood.

"Planting, seeding, loam, line stripping and signage will all be completed in the summer of 2013," Collins said. "When students return in September of 2013, we will not be present on site."

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