Now the school has been in session for a few weeks, Principal Jackson indicates that everything is going pretty smoothly. The students seem to have adjusted very well and school is off to a good start.

Regarding on-going construction, the gym has been demolished and the debris for the most part has been removed. As you may know, there are several different permits which have been either applied for or secured so that construction can continue to move forward. The Land Disturbance permit, which we expect any day, will allow Turner to begin site preparation to include removal of the existing parking in front of A Wing. We have also filed for a Foundation Permit which will allow for the initial construction of the new academic buildings and the Media Center.

We continue to work with Turner Construction on a daily basis to control cost and to assist them as they deal with the various field issues which are occurring with regard to on-going school operations. The present schedule calls for this office to be complete with the final Phase I pricing set by the end of September and with a Phase II Scope set by the end of October. Because the project design and construction is heavily influenced by keeping the school operationally throughout the construction period, many of the design and construction activities are out of sequence. As such, Turner is working from a series of Letters of Authorization on a task basis with the intent of formalizing a final Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) by early November. Our charge is to provide Turner with needed design documents which compliment their critical path schedule and support the on-going costing efforts.

The next two months will be critical for the completion of Phase I design and acceptance of Phase II design. It will also be critical to validate costing and to monitor our schedule. As I mentioned, we are working daily with Turner and have found this to be a very collaborative partnership. In talking to Principal Jackson, he could not be more pleased with Turner and their response to his needs.

We have all known there would come a time when the “rubber hits the road” and the construction would begin to impact us all. Obviously, parking for our students and staff is a difficult situation and we need to offer a big “thank you” to our churches who are working with Principal Jackson to provide some limited parking for our kids. Also, we need to encourage and support our teachers who, in some cases, are teaching in make-shift accommodations. However, we need to also focus on the larger picture and remember that at the end of the day, we will be blessed with a beautiful new, state-of-the-art high school facility that will not only greatly enhance the learning experience of our students but greatly enhance our community.

Milton E. Pate, Jr.
MILTON PATE ARCHITECTS, INC.

September 10, 2008