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.

May 28, 2015

Last week, I neglected to take many photos, so this week, I tried to make up for it.  One more week before the movement mayhem begins!  So many teachers are moving classrooms this summer, and we still have five wings to be renovated.  Our custodians will be very busy again.

Here's what's been happening this week on our construction project here at Hale Kula.

This is a view of the special education classroom adjoining J4. Students will have opportunities to learn life skills in addition to academics and social skills.

This is what the railings will look like for the second floor of the classroom building.  As soon as the furniture is delivered to the classrooms on the second floor, workers can install these railings.

Do you know what this is?  It feels similar to the drink holders from McDonalds. This system is called grasscrete paving and is favored as a sustainability model.

This is what it looks like when all of the pieces are in place.  Workers are completing the fire lane in front of the new classroom building.  There will also be a fire lane in the back of the school so the fire trucks can have access in case of an emergency.

A close-up  - notice the rebars in-between.  After concrete is poured to cover the whole area, workers will punch a hole in each of those shapes, fill them with soil, and plant grass in each hole.   

On Thursday, workers poured concrete for the fire lane.

Concrete paving is done; the next step is to poke holes in all those pavers.

We went on a second floor walkthrough and created a punch list of items that need to be fixed.  I took this photo of the library media/student center.  Workers are preparing to pour the footings so they can start the CMU walls for the second floor.

 

May 24, 2015

Things are progressing!  It is so exciting to see that the new classroom building is just about completed and that we can start moving in soon.  The furniture should be arriving by the end of the month; funding is provided for furniture for every new building project in the Department. Yeah!

With the school year almost over, teachers are busy packing to get ready to move or to have their rooms renovated.  Summer is one week shorter than last year, so hopefully, we will complete whatever needs to be done.  It'll be tight, but we know that everyone will be working hard to get everything done.

I didn't have the chance to take too many new photos last week; hopefully, I'll do better this coming week!

Steelworkers were able to install the metal pan deck for the roof of the library.  

They poured concrete for part of the walkway that will lead to the Student Support Center or the library. 

The CMU walls for the special education classroom by J building is almost completed.

May 16, 2015

As each day passes, I realize that it means we are closer to the ending of the school year and the beginning of summer where we hope to finish the classroom renovations (for the remaining 5 wings) as well as moving teachers into the new building.  We have a lot of classrooms and teachers moving rooms next year, so our custodial staff will be extra busy this summer!

Here are some photos from this week:

The 3 portables - P6, P7, and P8 - have been removed, and this week, we moved the storage container to the front end of the school.  Since P10 and P11 will be moved this summer. we needed to get the storage container out of the way. 

The CMU walls are going up for the special education classroom for our K-2 students.  Unfortunately, it won't be ready for the start of school, but hopefully, we'll be able to move in by the end of the first quarter. 

The tree was in the way of the covered play court and needed to be removed.  

This is another view of the special education classroom.

Just the trunk remained after the first day, and shortly afterwards, there was nothing but wood chips and sawdust.  Some of the students were concerned, and I had to explain why we had to remove it. 

Installed in the special education room for 3rd-5th graders

Learning life skills are as important as learning academics. Students will have opportunities to plan meals, to follow recipes, and to cook what they've grown and to clean up afterwards. 

This is a view of the learning hub, another area for students to meet and collaborate.  The first floor will house two second and two third grade classrooms.  Second graders face the street, and third graders face the gulch.  

The view of the library media/student center from the second floor of the classroom building.  The structural steel beams were placed last week, and now workers are installing the metal pan deck for the second floor.

By the end of the week, workers had made even more progress on the CMU walls for the special education classroom next to J4.

This is a close-up view of the front of the library media center. The steel beams are the roof line; the areas between the CMU walls and the beams are where the windows will be installed.  The library will have high ceilings and lots of natural light shining in.  

This is the metal pan deck in the Student Center side of the new building.  After this, I believe workers will start preparing to pour concrete for the second floor.