Construction Update
Valley Academy
A Public Charter School
June 2008
In June, we began preparing the site for our construction crew. We have dismantled the large play structures. Don't worry - we're storing them in a safe place. We're using professional playground installers to make sure our kids will have safe equipment when it's time for re-installation.
In early July, the Maintenance/Parent Room/Restroom building will be removed, and work will begin on the roadway.
We are winding our way through the permitting process, and the City of Phoenix has been very accommodating and helpful.
We have received updated budget numbers from the contractor. As of the end of June, we're on schedule and on budget.
When school resumes on August 11th, the construction site should be established and the new, extended roadway should be ready for use.
July 2008
The construction crew has been hard at
work during the month of July. Here you
see them demolishing the primary rest-
room building. This was our oldest
portable, and it didn't have adequate resale value to make it worth putting on the market - so we took everything we wanted out of it and let the construction crew get it out of the way.
As we move through the month of July, we hope to complete the permitting process and get the road work done.
In early August, the construction fence will be erected - in time for the start of school. This screened fence will separate the construction crew from the school, so workers will have no interaction with our students.
Safety Throughout Construction
To safeguard our students during the construction process, workers will not have any contact with students. The construction site has been designed with a private entrance and separate parking. The construction fence will be screened. Campus restrooms, fountains and food service areas will not be used by workers. If you have any concerns related to construction, please contact the school office. Thank you.
August 2008
As August comes to a close, our project remains on schedule and
on budget. The new roadway has been paved, and the portable
restroom trailer is up and running.
Here is what's happening behind the construction fence:
In late August, large drill trucks came on campus to drill dry wells. These wells are deep holes in the ground that allow rainwater to percolate deep into the soil.
The construction crew continues to work on the building foundation, over-excavating the area to compensate for our expansive soil. They are digging 5' below the building pad and screening out all rocks that are 6" or larger. Then they use the screened dirt to repack the foundation, one foot at a time. They fill, tamp it down, test it for compactness, then repeat. This process will ensure that our foundation is stable.
In early September, curbs will be installed along the road and some of the ornamental fencing will go up. How exciting!
September 2008
We got a lot of work accomplished in September. The permits are in and the masons have been very busy. The economy doldrums are actually working in our favor - we've got full crews working and budgeting is no problem. Valley's doing its part to help bolster the employment rate!
As September comes to a close, the new garbage enclosure is almost completed. The
curbing around the new roadway has been installed, and most of the new the interior
fencing is up. The stem walls, which were supposed to be completed by October 3rd,
were finished by the end of September.
The fire line runs under part of the street, so that installation caused a bit of disruption.
But our construction crew has been very considerate of our needs, helping to direct
traffic and working around our busy times.
As we move into October, the masons are still hard at work, building the MPR to its
2-story height and working on the exterior walls. There's a lot of work going on in the
ground also. Plumbers and electricians are digging ditches and running sewer, water
and electrical lines that are located under the slab. The elevator shaft has been dug
and poured.
October 2008
In October, everyone was invited to vote for an interior color scheme, and Scheme B (pictured) won. The masons finished the two-story Multi-Purpose Room walls and continue to build the exterior walls.
The most exciting event of the month happened on Tuesday, October 21st at 3:00 a.m. On that morning, the crew brought in big lights and poured the first part of our building foundation. To get the wet concrete into the right area of the site, they used a great big boom truck. Each concrete truck backed up and dumped wet concrete into the hopper on the boom truck. Then it was sucked through a hose on the boom and spit out right where it was needed. One workman controlled the location of the boom with a remote control harness (pictured). The construction crew had all the trucks gone before the traffic lanes began to fill up at the beginning of the school day.
November 2008
November was a good month for
blocks and concrete at Valley
Academy. The entire foundation
has now been poured. In the photo,
you can see all the underground
work that had to be completed
before the foundation could be
poured.
The rough roadway on the east
side of the campus is not dusty
any more. The crew poured a
substance that they refer to as
'gorilla snot' that hardens to
permanently seal the dirt/gravel.
This thick, sticky liquid was a bit
smelly, but it's certainly done
the job.
December 2008
At the end of November, student got a chance to sign
a piece of history. All Valley students were invited to
sign an overhead beam that supports the second story
floor. The beam has been installed in the south wing of
the school. When construction is complete, the beam
will not be visible, but the students will always know
that they (literally) left their mark on Valley Academy.
The masons are finished with the exterior walls now,
and the steel workers are working on the second floor.
Columns will support floor joists and then concrete will
be poured to finish off the upper floor. The roof and
stairs will also be December projects.
Over the holiday break, the
crews will still be working.
They will tear up the west
road and center fire lane to
install underground telephone
and electric lines.
By the time you return
to school in 2009,
the roadway will be fixed.
January 2009
We’ve gotten a lot done in the month of January.
The four speed humps at the entrance of the school
are not just for traffic control – they are designed
to stop water from coming onto our campus from
Rose Garden Lane. The rest are for traffic calming.
The west roadway is done; the east roadway will be
raised to control water flow. It’s surprising how
much desert-dwellers have to worry about rainstorms.
Now that the second story floor is poured, the crew is busy completing the roof trusses and decking. The first floor is pretty impressive now. The interior walls have been framed (see photo), so it’s easy to see corridors and classrooms. The air conditioning ductwork is coming along nicely, and the electricians and plumbers are busy with things that go behind the walls. The fire sprinklers are almost done. The stairs are in now, so I won’t have to risk my life climbing up a big ladder to take photos for you.
As January comes to a close, the exterior of the building will be painted (barring rain) and the second floor interior walls will be framed. Early in February, the crew will prepare a pad for the electrical transformer on the east side of the building. The new marquee should be installed some time in mid-February. The windows will go in after the exterior painting is done, and sheetrock will give the interior a more finished look.
February 2009
The interior of the building is really taking shape. The framing is done on the first floor and drywall has been placed on one side of every wall. The electricians and plumbers are running every-thing through the walls before the rest of the drywall will be installed. The second floor framing has begun. Door frames stand alone like extras in a Salvador Dali painting, waiting for supporting walls to join them.
The roofing should be completed soon and the 49 air conditioning units will soon be installed on the roof. Once the roofing is completed, the building will be watertight. After that, our
subcontractors will not have to worry about rainwater inside the building. The exterior painting is almost done, and the exterior stairs are installed. You might see a security guard
around the work site after hours and on weekends. He’s there to make sure everything stays safe and intact.
As February comes to a close, our project remains on budget and on time. It’s hard to believe that the building will be pretty much complete in just 90 days.
March 2009
It’s amazing to think that our building will be substantially complete in just two short months. Things are really moving along well inside. On the bottom floor, the drywall is finished and the painters are putting texture and paint on the walls. Upstairs, the drywall is almost complete.
After the modular buildings are empty this summer, most of them will be removed. We will renovate the modulars we are keeping (the office, kindergarten classrooms, parent room, and P.E. building) over the summer. Other summer work includes putting in a new parking lot and creating the athletic field, and two playgrounds. It’s going to be a busy summer.
The school office, which is usually closed the week of July 4th, will be closed for two additional weeks, from June 29th – July 17th, to accommodate renovations. We’re planning an exciting Meet the Teacher celebration in August so we can all enjoy our new surroundings.
April 2009
The new building is scheduled to be substantially complete in less than one month! On the lower floor, the painting is done, the cabinets are installed, the whiteboards have been hung, and the carpeting is being installed. The tile in the kitchen and restrooms is almost done. On the upper floor, the painting is done on one half of the building and being completed on the other half. Cabinets are in the rooms, but not installed yet. We’re still on schedule for moving day.
You can be one of the first to see the inside of the new building if you volunteer to help us move. We need all the strong bodies we can get for this enormous task. Come and help us take this important step into our future.
