Roosevelt construction on track

WILLMAR -- Pleasant November weather is helping contractors stay on track to finish the addition to Roosevelt Elementary School by mid-December.

Work on the roof was delayed by rainy weather in October, but it's been finished and thoroughly inspected.

With the installation of windows, the addition has been enclosed, and it's heated, said architect Evan Larson of GLT Architects of St. Cloud.

The $1.4 million addition will be the last step in a reorganization of the Willmar School District's elementary and middle schools.

The district moved all students in grades K-5 into two buildings for this school year, but there wasn't room for the seven sections of kindergarteners at Roosevelt.

Those students started the year in the former Lincoln Elementary School and will move into the new addition in December.

Larson was in Willmar Tuesday for a meeting with contractors, consultants and school officials. He talked about the meeting later in a telephone interview.

The purpose of the meetings is to make sure everyone knows the plan for the last month of construction, Larson said.

The planned completion date for the building is Dec. 14.

Rich Olson, the district's health and safety director, said the work is moving along well now that the building is enclosed. "Now, we're at the mercy of deliveries," he said.

Doors and the main mechanical unit are to be here this week. Casework and lockers are due to be delivered next week.

The important thing is to carefully plan the work that remains so masonry and flooring finishes have enough time to cure and dry, Larson said.

Though there is a push to get the addition done on time, Larson and Olson both said that the there will be no cutting corners to make it happen. "They're really working toward it," Larson said. "I don't have any reason to think that's going to be a problem."

While the interior finishing work is being done, brick to match the existing building is going on the exterior. That's about 25 percent done.

The district hired a roofing consultant to test materials being used on the roof and to oversee the installation of the roof. Other consultants are overseeing the installation of technology in the addition.