JERSEY SHORE - The Jersey Shore Area School Board's capital projects committee heard updates to the Jersey Shore Elementary School construction project and was able to ask questions during Tuesday's meeting.
Brian Haines, of Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates, told the committee that construction documents almost were fully completed and submitted, along with permit and code forms.
Haines expects bids for the project to be released at some point next week.
When Harry Brungard, committee member, asked when he expected bids to be accepted, Haines said he plans to push the date back to the end of January. Haines explained that a Williamsport Area High School construction project is set to accept bids on Jan. 16 and he did not want Jersey Shore's project to accept bids during the same week since many of the same contractors may be bidding on both projects.
Haines expects the project to come in under budget.
"It's something that we have very, very closely monitored," he said.
The committee also asked for clarification on two aspects of the project that have changed.
Haines explained that the project originally did not include any changes to restrooms. But after looking at the entire scope of the project, the design - based on a recommendation from Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates - was changed to bring restrooms up to ADA accessibility standards.
"It sort of all evolved," Haines said.
Another question concerned the amount of asbestos to be removed from the building.
Although all asbestos removal through out the building originally was part of the base bid, Haines said in order to help with the budget only asbestos tiles affected by construction were to be removed.
However, Haines said recently asbestos removal in its entirety was put back into the main scope of the project.
He added that additional asbestos was found in pipe coverings in the building's ceilings, which also will be removed during construction.
When asked, Haines said that asbestos removal will take place during summer break when students are not in the building. He added that the last removal phase will occur during the school year but in a part of the building that will not be used and cannot not be accessed by students or faculty.
"We've worked out a detailed phasing plan," Haines said.
Although construction will be in progress during next school year, Haines assured the committee that it will not interrupt the educational process.
Superintendent Richard Emery added that classrooms may be moved at the start of the school year from where they traditionally are because of construction, but there would not be any other movement once the year starts.
And regardless of any recommendation at the board's Jan. 14 meeting, Emery said the building's fourth- and fifth-grade students will need to be moved to another building.
