North Adams School Project Aims for October Wrap-Up
 Playground equipment has been installed on the south side of the building; the groundcover is not in yet. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The general contractor for the Colegrove Park Elementary School project has assured school officials the building will be substantially complete by Oct. 26.
"We're going to have the classroom building ready for Oct. 26," William L. Jodice, of PDS Engineering & Construction Inc., said. "That's the big date ... all the subcontractors know it.
"We're going to do it."
The tenor was far different Monday night than it was a few months ago, when school and project officials took PDS to task for failing to keep the project on target. The has delayed the opening of Colegrove by three months and forcing the overcrowded Sullivan School to be utilized.
"I have been extremely encouraged over the last couple weeks, not only with the work that's getting done but also with the cooperation level from the general contractor," Mayor Richard Alcombright said. "We've almost formed a different relationship that I wish we'd had a little earlier."
Daniel Daisy, of owner's project manager Strategic Building Solutions/Colliers International, said the construction pace has stepped up significantly.
Committee member Ronald Superneau asked if rumors he had heard of subcontractors walking off the job were true. Jodice said he was only aware of the plasterers who were waiting on a change order; that had come through and they were back on the job.
Daisy said that situation may have been true some months ago, but not now.
"I think they've turned the corner here finally," he said. "Their manpower has increased over the last two weeks quite substantially. If you walk through the building today, it's jumping in there and that's how it should be."
Daisy ran down the checklist, noting that the third floor was nearly complete, windows and sunshades were going in, and carpentry and millwork were underway on the lower floors. Drywall and plaster were going up in the lagging gym, which has a completion date of Nov. 16.
The playground equipment has also been installed and the sidewalks out to the street are being poured.
An issue with the delay in putting in resilient flooring had been resolved. Daisy said the subcontractor had been concerned about certain problematic floors because were not as smooth as recommended.
"Not every room is totally flat but it's acceptable," said Margo Jones of Jones Whitsett Architects. "If the adhesive doesn't adhere, they're still guaranteed. ... But they won't be expect to make it completely level."
It was noted the century-old building "is not going to settle any more than it is now," said Superneau.
Jones agreed: "The great thing is a lot of the floors are a terrazo that lasted a 100 years and they're going to last another 100 years."
Tags: Colegrove Park, Conte School, MSBA, school project,
