New Belair Middle School: Will it be done in time?
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Leaders say crews have been busy at the new Belair Middle School, and though they are almost done, they are unsure if it will be done in time for students to return.
Construction delays mean school officials still don’t know if the project will be finished in time for students on August 6.
DIG DEEPER WITH NEWS 12:
We stopped by campus for an update on Monday.
Crews say they’re about 90% of the way done, but there’s still a lot of work to do.
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“They’re close to completing. Looks like it will go into the fall,” said Building Program Director Jeff Baker.
From the outside, the new Belair Middle School seems to be almost ready for students.
But on the inside, leaders say they have a lot left to do.
“Yes, there have been some delays. Starting later, like I just mentioned, was one of them. Some permitting issues in the early part of the project, as far as timing goes, and then just some general construction activity issues in the last three or four months,” said Baker.
Baker says when they broke ground two years ago, they were already on a tight schedule.
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Adding 12 additional classrooms to the project halfway through is now pushing their deadline.
“Those 12 classrooms, that portion of the project was never planned to be done. So, there was a portion of the project that was going to be ongoing construction into the fall. So, we’re dealing with a couple of things. A tight schedule, a fairly significant portion of the project that wasn’t supposed to be done, to begin with, and then just marketplace conditions. So, trying to balance all that,” he said.
With the school bell just 29 days away, they’re working hard to give parents and students some answers about that first day.
“The school system will come out with their recommendations in the next two days. We’re evaluating today and, in the morning, where the contractor is exactly will meet school system will make a good decision on all,” said Baker.
School leaders say parents should know by Wednesday if they will finish by the August 6 deadline.
If they don’t, they will announce the temporary plan until Belair Middle School is ready to open.
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