KINGSTON — Progress is coming from every direction as the molding clay of Kingston High School forms into its master plan while Wick Construction crews hammer out the details.
The final sheet rock is being secured into place and the hallways are filled with the smell of fresh paint. Classrooms, restrooms, commons and corridors have all been constructed as the school building project rounds the corner into its final phases.
Following last year’s wet winter — which hindered the project as its focus was shifted from construction to stormwater control — crews enjoyed a dry summer that gave them the chance to gain ground on time lost.
“They were able to work longer hours onsite to get it nearly caught up to the project timeline,†said NKSD director of capital programs Robin Shoemaker. “They are still pushing their fall deadline.â€
Beginning Oct. 1, Kitsap County Public Works officials will be keeping a close eye on the site’s condition as well as any stormwater. At that point, site work — including paving, concrete and sports fields — will cease, Shoemaker said.
“They still have to pave all of the circulatory roads and put concrete into the courtyard before Oct. 1,†she said of KHS’ remaining site work, noting that crews have already paved a portion of the school’s parking lot.
Additionally, the football field — which will be covered with synthetic turf next spring — has been graded. The baseball and fastpitch fields have also been graded and should be seeded before winter rains arrive.
Inside the school and its budget
Kingston High School’s educational space is divided into four separate classroom pods. There are two pods on each floor, offset by special education classrooms and a state-of-the-art commons area.
Each pod contains five classrooms and a central student support area. Classrooms are divided by flexible partisan boards which can open into other areas or confine into one classroom space, providing versatility.
“We expect they are going to be using them in a variety of ways,†Shoemaker said. “It’s really up to them how they use it.â€
“(The building plan) lends itself to building a sense of community with larger groups of students being able to come together and it also lends itself to guest speakers coming in,†KHS planning principal Christy Cole said.
The structures for those uses are in place while finishing and detail work — including electrical, heating, ventilation and cooling systems and cosmetic — continues to take shape.
“The contract completion date is January (2007); they will be finishing in February, we hope,†Shoemaker said of the project timeline, noting that site work issues have slowed the project. “We will, over spring and summer (2007), be outfitting the building.â€
Once crews complete their work on the buildings, the district will be tasked with moving in school furniture and resources while also setting up Cole and her administrative team. Resources coming into the building will hail partly from North Kitsap High School and partly from new purchases, school board president Catherine Ahl said.
“I want to use any money that we have left over to make sure we have that school outfitted with the best possible materials,†she said, adding that a new materials expenditure account is built into the budget.
The project continues to remain in line with its $37.5 million budget despite nearly 30 construction change orders — totaling $1.6 million — that have ranged from contractor negotiations to the removal of unsuitable materials from the site.
“We’ve built in a contingency fund to take care of the change orders,†Ahl said, noting that about $730,000 of the $2.3 million contingency fund remains. “Spending money always worries me … but I think that we are OK.â€