June 25, 2015

Less than one month before teachers return to school. Yikes! Will everything get done on time? The contractor assures me they will, and I trust that he knows what he's saying.  They've brought in extra crews, and everyone is working really hard.

The classroom abatements are complete - no more plastic tents covering the buildings! Roofers are taking off the old materials and installing new layers; gutters should be coming in next week. Painters are almost done with the exteriors of the 5 renovated buildings and the doors and trimmings are left. The interior is complete in all of the buildings except F. Beginning ext week, the floor tiles will be installed, and work continues on the library media/student center, the special education classroom, and the covered play court. Landscapers are preparing to plant grass by the classroom building and lastly, Portables 12, 13, and 17 are being prepared to be removed with Portables 10 and 11 to follow.

Workers had to dig a trench for the sewer line to the special education classroom and the covered play court.

The steelworkers completed the railings for the second floor balcony in the classroom building.

The CMU walls for the media/student center are almost complete!

This is the back of the building.  There will be a walkway in the front as well as the back of the building. 

Portable 12 is ready to be transported to Campbell High School at 11:00 p.m. tonight!  Portables 13 and 17 will be moved within the next week.

I got to go on a tour to see the progress inside the construction project.  This is the area where the Student Services Coordinator and the counselors will have their offices. 

This is the library part of the building.  Notice the high ceiling.  The open areas will be windows for natural lighting.

This is the front of the library building.  There will be a bench in that recessed area so students can wait for parents to come through the parking lot and pick them up after school. 

June 20, 2015

I have to admit - I'm getting anxious as each day and week of the summer break rapidly come to an end.  There really is no need to feel that way because lots of progress is made each week. Nevertheless, I'll feel better when we can get teachers into their buildings to begin setting up their classrooms for the next school year.

The abatement is completed for three of the buildings (A, H, and J) and I is awaiting the final air quality numbers for completion. They began working on building F last week, and the abatement should be complete sometime in the next week or so.

Here are some photos of the progress on our project this week.

Workers were installing the grating by the outside stairs in the classroom building.

Workers were preparing the grass crete paver fire lane for planting.  Notice the gate that was installed.  This fire lane is only for an emergency vehicle; hopefully, it won't have to be used. 

I was concerned that the grass by the Administration Building was overgrown and full of weeds.  I should have trusted the landscapers.  They came by this week and pulled the big weeds then mowed the grass.  It looks nice!  Apparently, as the grass grows thicker, it leaves no space for weeds to grow.  Hmmm . . . I think I need this at our house :-)

Our librarian and I visited Ho`okele Elementary School in Kapolei this week.  They will be opening in July, and workers are putting in the finishing touches.  Like our new buildings, Ho`okele was designed as a 21st century school, and we wanted to see their classrooms and their library as well as the furniture they ordered.  Mrs. Colte has a vision for the library, how it will be used, and what types of furniture will enhance that vision.  Although that new building won't be ready until spring 2016, it's already time to start ordering furniture.

 I couldn't envision what the grating would look like when the architect explained it to us earlier, but now that I see it, I think the grating enhances the lines and accents the colors of the building.

I enjoyed watching the communication between the crane operator and the workers who were placing the planks for the roof of the special education classroom adjoining J building.  I continue to be amazed at the different machines and the teamwork involved in a project like this. 

Painters are completed with the interior of Building H and are putting finishing touches on the exterior.  Next up - the floor tiles and the roof (maybe).

The grating is complete; next up for these workers - the railings on the second floor exterior and the interior and exterior stairwells. 

I love the look of the classroom building and I can't wait for the portables to be removed so we can see it from the street.  

Workers are removing the old roofing on Building A; what a mess! The roofing is taking longer to complete, and it doesn't appear that the work will be done by the time school begins.  So the roofing might have to extend into next summer.  Notice the new building in the background.

Lots of progress on the CMU walls of the new building! A staff member who was on campus for the first time since summer break started saw the progress and stated, "Wow! That is a huge building!"

Until next week . . . enjoy the summer!

June 13, 2015

Summer is here, and the construction work is going at a fast pace! We are appreciative of everyone working together to make sure that everything is completed before teachers return to school in July. No school means more opportunities to get out and take pictures of the project.

On Monday, workers were getting started on the CMU walls for the second floor of the library media/student center.

Painters primed the first building; they're working on the remaining 5 buildings this summer - A, F, H, I, and J.

It looks like the fire lane grass crete paver is ready for planting. 

Progress on the second floor CMU walls!

First coat is done! Painters will do the final coat after the roofs are done and the interior is completed. 

The roofers are working on building F, taking off the old roof and replacing it with several layers of insulation and then the final roofing material.

The view from the one of the tinted windows on the second floor classroom building 

The addition of the insulation keeps the rooms cooler than the old material.  Adding high quality ceiling fans really helps to keep the classrooms comfortable.  

Workers took down the wall that split room A4 into 2 rooms.  Now it can be turned into a classroom if we need more space, but for now, it houses our Student Services Coordinator.

Hawaii Modular Systems came by to remove the trailer that was used by the project manager. 

We're not sure when it will happen, but P12, P13, and P17 as well as P10 and P11 will be relocated to other schools and refurbished so they can be used as classrooms.  When these portables are gone, landscapers will work to plant grass in that whole area. 

Workers are also making progress on the special ed classroom as well as the covered playcourt.  I hope to take photos of that part of the project next week.

The Mayhem Begins - Summer 2015

With the school year officially over on Thursday (teachers' last day of work), workers converged on the school to get as much done as possible over the summer break.  It was a bit crazy with teachers packing and moving their things and custodians trying to keep up with all the room changes.  The abatement work began on building A, ceiling fans were constructed and installed, and lots of old furniture were being disposed of.

With summer two weeks shorter than last year, the construction company has a tight schedule! It will be a very busy, hectic summer for all of us!

Here's what was happening last week:

Flip-and-nest desks for the flex classrooms were delivered.  Workers will come back to put them together.

Boxes were packed and delivered to the rooms last week.  Everything is stacked on the slides to make sure there's room for the delivery of student desks, chairs, and the teacher desk and chair.

Work has begun on the second floor of the library media/student center. 

This worker was painting the railings for the stairways.

Do you know what these guys are doing?  They're poking the holes in the grass crete pavers for the fire lane.  I could hear their rhythmic tapping from outside the administration building.

It looks like they're almost ready for the roof of the special education classroom.

Teachers cleaned up their rooms, the custodians moved everything out, and the process to remove the floor tiles began!  The work is carefully monitored.