The new multi-purpose room for Los Paseos Elementary is approximately eight weeks behind schedule due to the wet weather, according to Al Solis, director of construction and modernization for the Morgan Hill School District.
“The building was supposed to be completed by the end of May, second week of June at the latest,” Solis told trustees during Monday’s board meeting.
“We are now tracking eight weeks of delay due to rain, so we’re looking at maybe July 31.”
The school, which is located in south San Jose next to Martin Murphy Middle School, needed remodeling and a new multi-purpose room because fourth through sixth grade students from Encinal Elementary were gradually moved into Los Paseos, which originally housed only K-3 students.
The former Encinal now is the home of the Charter School of Morgan Hill.
Solis told trustees there were also delays in receiving full approval from the Division of the State Architect (DSA), which must approve all public school construction and remodeling projects.
Some of the materials being used in the construction of the “green”, or environmentally-friendly multi-purpose room, Solis said, are new to the Oakland DSA office, although they have been approved in other parts of the state before.
“Among other things, they are requiring us to do a really comprehensive inspection of the walls,” said Solis. “That requires a full-time inspector on the job site.”
The walls, according to Director of Facilities Colette McLaughlin, have a Styrofoam form which is left in place after the concrete is poured to provide insulation.
The fact that the building is in a “seismic area,” McLaughlin said, is another reason the DSA is carefully reviewing the plans.
The revised budget for the building, which was approved in November, was $4,080,759; Solis told trustees he is anticipating a cost at completion of $4,200,608, an estimated overage of $119,849.
“We did some value engineering to save money, and therefore our plans didn’t match the bids, which meant we had to make some changes which cost a little more, but we actually did save money in the long run,” Solis said.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at mdubil@mor ganhilltimes.com or phoning (408) 779-4106 Ext. 202.
