Gilroy
– School officials and contractors determined they are 10 days
behind schedule on the construction of Eliot Elementary, and set a
maximum overage cost of $250,000.
In a meeting Tuesday, an examination of the contract revealed
there were 18 rain days already built into the construction
schedule.
Gilroy – School officials and contractors determined they are 10 days behind schedule on the construction of Eliot Elementary, and set a maximum overage cost of $250,000.
In a meeting Tuesday, an examination of the contract revealed there were 18 rain days already built into the construction schedule. Due to heavy rainfall this winter, contractors fell off pace by more than 27 days.
Eliot students are being housed at Ascension Solorsano School until their new school is finished. However, this fall when the new sixth graders arrive at Ascension, there will be no room for the Eliot students if their school is not completed.
“Currently (they’re) putting together a proposal to make sure the school is finished on time, but it appears that there is at least a plan to get the teachers in by the second of August,” said Superintendent Edwin Diaz. “It’s going to cost more than originally expected.”
More than expected, but less than $250,000 agreed upon Tuesday, Gilroy Unified School District’s construction manager Gary Corlett assured. “We don’t expect it to cost the full $250,000.”
Only necessary workers will be paid overtime he said. Original estimates put a $13.85 million price tag on the school.
The 10 days Eliot is behind is not something that can be measured in outside appearance. If everything went according to plan, the four new buildings would look pretty much as they do now: Large two-story wooden boxes resting on muddy ground.
The difference is on the inside. And in the smell.
Tar for the roofing burns outside. Rolls of white insulation lie plastic-wrapped and waiting for use. Air conditioning ducts lie in cylindrical pieces on the floor. Rafters and walls remain exposed to the light streaming in from outlet holes.
The rain is to blame for the delay of much of the roof work and remaining cement pouring, in addition to the application of stucco to the outside walls.
“Not only have we had more rainy days than usual, but much more rain as well,” Corlett said. “As long as we don’t have any more rain delays we should be fine.”
Eliot’s construction is no longer in the framing stage – that period where it looks as though a building rises out of the ground overnight. The final stages are less noticeable on the outside when much of the electrical work is being completed, Corlett said.
None of the drywall work can be done until the stucco is “in the dry” – a later phase in the application process. Stucco is not just applying plaster to exterior walls. Mesh lath resembling chicken wire and a scratch coat of mortar must be applied beforehand.
Since construction began on the new Eliot last year, 14 permanent classrooms have been added, as well as a library, full computer lab, kindergarten wing and administration building.
The original school built in 1949 to 1952 was one-story and could house about 300 students. On the same 5-acre lot, the new design can accommodate 600 students, and has a larger playground area and includes off-street faculty parking.
Building codes were different 50 years ago – bus and parent drop off areas were not expected, or even imagined yet Corlett said.
“By building the second story we have maximized the space,” he said. “The campus is about half the size of an average elementary school.”
The theory is used in city planning – build up, rather than out.
Security cameras, though not required in the district, will be added as well. The site has suffered very little vandalism so far, Corlett said. The only incidents that have occurred during construction were tagging early on, which was covered, followed by the spraying of fire extinguishers. A few weeks ago, before the doors were attached, some kids got inside and threw rocks at the windows, shattering some of the glass sheets he said.
“But we’ve been very fortunate – we’ve not had a lot of that,” Corlett said.
Contractors pay for damages incurred before the school is completed.
Though behind schedule, Corlett is confident the students will be able to attend come the fall.
“We should be done by the time the teachers move in,” he said, motioning past the puddles drying in the sun.
