Work Continues Apace At 5/6 School

By Tanjua Damon

The 5/6 school is taking shape on 20 acres of town-owned property on the corner of Wasserman Way and Trades Lane.

The foundation for the gymnasium and “cafetorium” are currently being constructed by Farmington Concrete Construction, which is a subcontractor of the general contractor Haynes Construction.

Tim Alix, project manager with Strategic Building Solutions, explained that the project is going well and things are moving along. Most of the hazardous materials abatement of Watertown Hall is complete and the demolition will take place in the near future, Mr Alix said.

“Everything is going well. We’re still in the summer months, the relatively dry season,” Mr Alix said. “The foundation is going in for the gymnasium and the cafetorium. Soon we will be starting on the classroom wings.”

The erection of steel is expected to begin in mid- to late September, according to Mr Alix.

“We’re happy with the progress,” Mr Alix said. “The contractor is making every effort to move the project along.”

Pete LaCasse of Farmington Concrete says things are going smoothly with the beginning phases of the concrete foundation. His crew has been working on the foundation for almost a month now and has finished the gymnasium foundation and is currently working on the cafetorium foundation.

Mr LaCasse has been impressed with the time Town Building Inspector Bill Andricovich has been putting into overseeing how the project is coming along.

“The town building inspector is pretty hands-on. He’s here every day for the pours,” Mr LaCasse said. “He wants to know what’s going on. He’s pretty efficient for a building inspector. He impressed me. Not all towns have building inspectors that are that good at their jobs and take the time to be here.”

The cost of the project is slated to be $28.6 million, of which $9.7 million will be reimbursed by the state. Construction is scheduled to be complete by January 2003, when school officials plan to open the school that will be the new home to fifth and sixth graders throughout the district.

The school is expected to alleviate crowding in both the elementary schools and middle school in the district. The 5/6 school is designed to hold a student population of 1,100 students.

The building will include 44 classrooms arranged in two-room clusters. Each cluster will have a shared small group instruction room along with a moveable partition. The triangular style design divides the school into two areas.

The school will also include a library/media center, special education classroom and resource room, three art rooms, three music rooms, full-sized gymnasium, a cafetorium with a stage, administrative offices, maintenance, mechanical, and storage rooms. An elevator will also be available at the school.

The project is designed to have separate unloading areas for school buses and automobiles. There will be parking for visitors and staff. The school will also have softball/baseball fields, a multi-purpose field, and an outdoor hard-surfaced play area.