While demolition goes on outside, work continues on the interior as the $65 million school is being readied to open for classes in September.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The "cold corridor" is a memory, and soon the rest of the former academic spaces at Mount Greylock Regional School will follow in its wake.
Demolition is well underway at the Cold Spring Road campus, where Holyoke's American Environmental has taken the lead on tearing down the two classroom wings that have been replaced by a three-story addition as part of the school district's $64 million building project.
On Thursday, Superintendent Kimberley Grady and Turner Construction's Mike Giso led a media tour to look at the work in progress, focusing on both the demo to the south and east of the new school's central core and the nearly move-in ready classrooms in the addition.
About 50 percent of the interior of the 1950s- and '60s-era classroom wings has been abated and is ready to be torn down, Giso said.
"The middle school wing is pretty much done on the inside as far as abatement," he said. "By the end of September or early October, the building will be down."
As American Environmental's Eric Bearce tore down parts of the building with a backhoe, Giso explained that although demolition will continue well into the start of the school year that begins Sept. 6, dust-control measures will be in place to make sure that campus is safe for students inside and outside the school.
And as Bearce ripped through brick and twisted metal, a mister sprayed his work area and maintained a comfortable environment for the observers just a stone's throw away.
Grady pointed out that Smith and Wessel Associates of Spencer, the district's environmental monitor, is on site regularly ensuring that construction activities do not present a hazard.
A busy site it was on the mid-July morning as crews continued paving in the parking lot, cleaning out the old classroom wing, tiling the cafeteria floor, installing a ceiling in the entrance foyer and myriad other tasks.
Both Giso and Grady emphasized that the project remains on track. Giso said that the demolition is on schedule if not a little ahead of schedule and that American has not had any of the manpower issues that have hampered the project at other stages.
"As of right now, [owner's project manager] Dore and Whittier and Turner are indicating that we are on schedule to move in on time to open school on Sept. 6," Mount Greylock Transition Committee Chairman Joe Bergeron told his colleagues at their meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
Grady told the Transition Committee — the district's de facto school committee until a new slate is elected in November — that the district is looking at dates with the Massachusetts School Building Authority for a celebratory ribbon cutting in October.
"When you start talking about ribbon cutting, you know you're close to the end," Grady said.
On Thursday, Grady said the district is anticipating securing a temporary certificate of occupancy for the new school in mid-August.
It is common for a project like the new Mount Greylock to open with a temporary certificate and obtain the full certificate of occupancy after finishing touches and landscaping are completed, Grady told the Transition Committee.
She said Thursday she is waiting to schedule the walk-through for a TCO with the town's building inspector until the district receives the furnishings it needs for the school's new media center. The building inspector will want to see the shelving and other library furnishings in place before he can do his inspection.
The media center looks to be one of the last academic spaces to be wrapped up. Giso said Thursday that the three-story academic wing is "98 percent" complete from a construction standpoint.
Once a certificate is in hand and the parking lot is complete, in late August, the school will welcome back teachers to begin setting up their classrooms, Grady said. At the moment, all the classroom materials that teachers boxed up in the spring are sitting in the school's gymnasium.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Clark Art Hosts Free Weekly Writing Program
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — As part of the Clark Art Institute's free evening hours through Sept. 25, and in connection with the Guillaume Lethière exhibition, the Clark presents a free drop-in writing program exploring how creative writing can be used for political and social change.
From 4–5 pm, workshop participants have complimentary access to the Guillaume Lethière exhibition. From 5–6 pm, reserved seating is available for participants to share their writing on the Fernández Terrace.
According to a press release:
Just as artist Guillaume Lethière depicted themes of revolt and revolution in his paintings and drawings, participants discuss the power of words to create change and gather together to write and share words of change in a casual workshop setting.
Free. Open to all ages; recommended for ages 12+. Pick up writing prompts at the Clark Center admissions desk.
The Planning Board last week talked about balancing housing and land conservation in the rural parts of town and protecting the aquifer that supplies drinking water to most of the town's inhabitants. click for more
The district's construction adviser, Bruce Decoteau, provided the committee with a number of updates in a brief session at the current fire house on Water Street.
click for more
CATA, based in Great Barrington, is a wide-ranging program that serves artists in nearly every discipline imaginable, from painting to acting to juggling to creative writing.
click for more
Three years after it received the final permitting, the third and final phase of the Cable Mills housing complex is on track to break ground later this year. click for more
His draft bylaw only would apply in the town's residential districts, meaning that in commercial districts, any home could be on the market for services like Airbnb or Vrbo 365 days a year. click for more