Updates on the progress of the renovation at the elementary school during the summer of 2022. Newest pictures at the top of the page.
September 23:
These last few weeks have been very busy. The kids are hard at work getting to the business of school. For some students despite having been here for a few years this feels very different. The covid protocols are different and there are new routines to learn.
The focus has been on the biomass site, there you have probably seen the excavating into the hillside where the propane tanks are. The propane system is for the shoulder seasons and backup to the biomass heater. You may have also noticed the railing around the site of the portable classrooms. These classrooms have arrived and will be set on 9/26. That will be fun to watch and we will be sure to get you some pictures.
Thank you for your continued support, look for more updates soon as we get the building set.
September 9:
WHEW! WE DID IT!!! Everyone, what a showing of teamwork. It was a monumental effort with everyone firing on all cylinders to make it happen but it's for all the right reasons; the kids are back at school!!!!!!
The building was alive over Labor Day Weekend as staff could be in the building setting up learning spaces. Contractors were everywhere, then on Monday, Labor Day, the building was closed, everyone had the day off. Well, almost everyone! Tuesday morning it was hard to imagine that we would be ready in time. However as the way wore on, by 5pm it was believable. As the last people left around 8pm it was hard to imagine what the building looked like 12 hours earlier. Congratulations to EEI, the staff, and our supportive community for making this happen.
It will take another few weeks to finish up everything, keep an eye out for more updates as the project wraps up. Yes, there will be a community open house later this fall to get you all in celebrate our investment in our school.
August 31:
We are just days away from setting up classrooms. That may be hard to believe as you flip through the latest pictures, but we have been assured that we are on track. Flooring and wiring seem to be the themes of the week. Most the wiring we see going on is for the controls that will greatly improve our air quality. The construction is still progressing at the biomass site with the roof being trimmed out now.
Within days teachers will be setting up classrooms, getting ready to welcome students on the 7th. This is an active construction site so please help everyone following protocols for who is allowed onsite. There will be a community open house this fall to celebrate our investment in the school.
August 26:
We still have another day to the work week for the crews busy at the school but we are not going to have much more excitement this week so here is an update of the last few days. Tomorrow will be continued work to make the building more efficient with the ceiling panels and lights.
A fun surprise to most folks is the picture of the original Sunapee Central School sign at the top of the building that faces down School Street. When the addition was built 70 or so years ago it blocked the view of this sign. Getting a picture this has been a pleasant trip down memory lane for some of our more mature residents!
The pad for the portable classrooms has been poured. This will provide a solid base for the building for years to come. In the picture you can also see the conduit for the utilities to reach the building and be tied into the new efficient systems.
If you have been past the Sherburne Gym these last few days and looked out back at the biomass site you probably saw the roof being closed in. Another sign of the progress chugging along.
We are reassured that we are on schedule for students return on September 7. The energy has been electric throughout the summer, however this week will the staff back to work we have reached another level. We can't wait to welcome students back to school!
August 24:
OK team, here is the update now that we are halfway through the week and we push towards the return of students. Today was a BIG victory, our facilities team emptied one of the two storage containers back INTO the building. Furniture and other supplies are back into classrooms on the top floor and we have one empty storage container.
Do you remember the trench through the Lit Lab a few weeks ago? It has been filled in and the concrete poured.
Those empty ceiling grids from a few weeks back are being finished with lights and panels.
The shed roof at the biomass site has been closed in. Our elementary school is electric with activity as we rapidly approach the finish. Watching the crews at work is inspiring as they race to the finish.
Check back in a couple days for another update from the second half of the week.
August 19:
- On Wednesday we saw that four of the HRU (Heat Recovery Unit) were placed on the roof. These have been getting finished in place with the first and third units complete. Roofers and carpenters are busy with the other two now, tomorrow they should be finished.
- The new radiators are being finished and they do look nice. The rooms look bigger without those old bulging steam radiators and we are gaining some much needed floor space.
- The old flooring that is being replaced has been removed. There will not be new flooring everywhere but the surfaces getting it are prepped.
- On Wednesday we had the trench to the new portable dug, Today it is back filled!
Looking forward, Monday the lighting is being delivered and we will have extra crews working on that. This will allow for the ceilings to finish coming together. The hung ceiling panels that are in place look very nice and the lights will give a nice finish.
The plan for moving back into the building is nearly done. Boxes, furniture and other classroom supplies will start to go back into rooms on the top level early next week. It may be difficult to comprehend that in just two weeks the building will be put back together. However we are still being told we are on track!
August 17:
We are going to have two updates this week, there is just so much happening. The trench to the site of the new portable has been dug underneath the foundation. Look for conduit and piping to be installed soon. As you have seen, much of the work is behind the scenes and this includes up on the roof. This week we were able to get pictures from the roof and see the crane bring in four of the new units. This will allow the new duct work to start to be connected. In addition to the grids for the hung ceilings being installed, the tiles are going in too. The next update will show off the pretty ceilings. At the biomass site the roof trusses were installed and work is progressing to integrate the new components with the existing infrastructure.
Check back on Friday for our weekly update.
August 12:
Last week we said we were racing towards the finish line and it appears that the project has picked up even more momentum since then! This past weekend you may have seen a crane on site getting materials up on the roof as part of the preparation and reinforcement before the new HVAC systems get delivered this week. The painters have continued and on the third floor many of the old ceilings that were flaking off have a fresh coat of paint in addition to the repaired walls. Some of these upper floor rooms look very close to being done to amateur eye. Another big win this week was getting the old underground tanks removed from both the elementary school and the Sherburne Gym. These locations have been backfilled as has the trench that was dug up the hill. We have a new trench being dug out the site of the new portable classrooms and the grading for the slab has begun as well.
August 5:
This was another big week with the momentum becoming clear that we are racing towards the finish. Painters are busy on the top level making the walls look nice again. New baseboards are being installed where the old steam radiators were removed giving the walls a finished look. Outside a trench was dug up the hill from the biomass site. The supply and return lines were laid and are being back filled. Inside on the lower level where there was a trench, that too is being back filled.
July 29: Big week with the project this week as we have turned the corner from dismantling and deconstruction to putting the building back together. We have been reassured we are on schedule. Sheetrock continues to go up and is ready for paint in many parts of the building. Ceiling grids are being installed and ready for tiles. At the biomass site progress continues as the building is coming together.
July 25: This week saw significant changes to the site with the completion of the retaining wall that levels the site of the new portable classrooms. Inside the building there are trenches being cut in the lower level floor. The walls are being repaired where the old steam radiators once hung.
July 18: This past week the community was able to view significant progress to the work on the elementary school with the walls going up for the biomass system and the retaining wall being built for the site of the new portable classroom. The building remains a closed construction site as work proceeds.
July 8: Pictures from this week show the extensive ventilation work that is being done. Some community members from the last 60 plus years will recall the "reading cubbies" that were at the base of the ventilation shafts in each room. See how these spaces are being utilized now in these pictures.
July 5: We are full steam ahead with the work on both the biomass site and inside the elementary school. We wrapped up before the holiday weekend with the concrete pad being poured for the biomass system, more duct work throughout and the removal of the old radiators.
June 27: After the first full week there has been significant momentum on the project. The elementary school has been emptied of almost all the furnishings and teaching supplies. These are stored in containers and the old portable classrooms. A temporary office has been set up in the portable for the summer as well. Take a look at the work behind the Sherburne gym where a single new biomass plant will be built to replace the oil burning furnaces at both the gym and the elementary school.
June 20: Student were released for summer break on Wednesday June 15 at 12pm. Immediately work began to get the classrooms emptied. By Friday June 17th the building was almost entirely emptied into temporary storage and in the portable classrooms.