ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603290008
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Despite this winter's heavy snow and cold temperatures, the $6million renovation of Stonewall Jackson Middle School is expected to be finished when school opens next fall.
Officials had worried that the Roanoke school would not be completed on time because the bad weather has slowed construction.
But Richard Kelley, assistant school superintendent for operations, said last week the projected occupancy date for the renovated school is Aug. 24.
``Unless there is some unexpected weather or a problem with a supplier, we feel we can begin moving in on that date,'' Kelley said.
Students will be able to use Jackson Middle while the contractor is putting the finishing touches on it, he said. ``The contractor can complete some work after school opens just as was done at Wasena Elementary last year.''
City schools are likely to open Sept. 3, the day after Labor Day, although the School Board has not adopted the calendar for the next academic year.
School officials met last week with the architects and contractor, Nielsen Construction Co. of Harrisonburg, to review the project's status and construction schedule for the next few months.
Kelley said the contractor and subcontractors have made a good effort to keep the project on schedule despite the bad weather.
Construction is slightly behind, he said, but the contractor hopes to catch up by adding employees and working longer hours on some parts of the project.
The project began with last year's summer break. The contractor razed the 72-year-old classroom building because architects said it could not be renovated to meet the needs of a modern middle school.
The building had load-bearing walls that could not be moved to create smaller rooms. It also had high ceilings and wasted space that could not have been corrected by renovation, architects said.
A new classroom building is under construction, but the cafeteria and gymnasium are being renovated.
Some Southeast Roanoke residents opposed the razing of that building because, they said, the neighborhood would lose part of its architecture and history.
Jackson's students are attending other schools this year while it is closed: The sixth-graders are at Breckinridge; seventh-graders attend William Ruffner Middle School; and eighth-graders are at Addison Middle School.
If Jackson hadn't beenisn't finished on time, it could delay the refurbishing of Breckinridge Middle School by a year because Breckinridge seventh-graders are scheduled to be at Jackson while that work is performed.
Breckinridge's sixth-graders will attend James Madison Middle School and eighth-graders will go to William Ruffner.
The completion date for Jackson could affect the renovation schedule for Woodrow Wilson and Addison middle schools as well. If Breckinridge were delayed, that would push back the scheduled renovation of Woodrow Wilson in 1997-98 and Addison in 1998-99.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON/Staff. Renovation work on Stonewallby CNBJackson Middle School has been slowed by rough winter weather, but
the contractor on the project is hoping to catch up this summer.