New School Site – On Schedule and on Budget

Dateline: May 22, 2023

Recently in May, about 15 town officials were given a tour of the New School construction site by Doug Proctor, Principal II Senior Vice President of Architecture, H.L. Turner Group of Concord, NH, by Matt Beaulieu, Project Manager, Superintendent, Milestone Engineering and Construction of Concord, NH, and by Gordon Bristol, Owner's Project Manager, Gordon Bristol Consulting, Williamsville, VT.

No work was in progress so we were told that hard hats were not needed. At the current stage we were walking on bare concrete floors through numerous corridors of tall steel studs. Runs of water and drainage piping, ductwork, electrical wiring, and sprinkler fixtures were easily visible overhead.

In a recent online report, Project Manager Gordon Bristol reported the following.

• Interior metal framing continues
• Exterior metal framing continues
• Electrical rough in ongoing
• Plumbing under slab complete
• Sprinkler work commenced
• Concrete to be poured for cafeteria floor
• Site work continues about 60% finished
• We have an average of 80 workers a day on site
• Masons have commenced work.
• Roofing is ongoing.
• Fire Pump building arrives this week
• Only two concrete pours for flooring remain: a classroom area on first floor and the sub floor for the gymnasium floor.
• We are continuing to look at owner fit-up items such as security, cameras, door access.
• Overall the schedule is on time and on budget.

The tour began at the main entrance to the building.

Town and school officials gathered outside the site.

Before entering the building, Doug Proctor explained the material to be used for the exterior walls.

Future location of the gym (looking north).

Another view of the future gym (looking west).

Note the sand surface. When the concrete is poured here, it must be lower than the surrounding concrete to leave space for a hardwood floor.

School Board Chair Jody Moore honored the late School Superintendent, Peter Warburton.

"I would like to begin this tour with a few words regarding Superintendent Peter Warburton. Peter's leadership was instrumental in where we are today. I know how important the success of this project was to him.

I would like to take this opportunity to have a moment of silence, in honor of Peter and his dedication to this new school."

The tour then lead through a first floor corridor toward classrooms.

Another corridor leading to an exterior wall.

Note the X-shaped structures in the stud walls. These are used in numerous locations to prevent twisting of the building due to a strong wind load.

The main stairway leading to the second floor classrooms.

A long array of windows was installed to allow natural light to enter the main corridor.

The location of the future library at the rear corner of the building.

As the tour came to an end, Project Manager Gordon Bristol assured us again that the project was on schedule and on budget.

What You Can Do

Pray that some billionaire writes a check to pay off the school bond. (Just kidding!)

Otherwise, take a slow drive on River Rd. and observe the progress of the construction. You can also visit the New School web site for construction updates from Gordon Bristol.