Rain dampens Clover School District construction progress

Rain, rain is pushing some Clover School District construction project deadlines away.

Kelly Clayton with project managing company Cumming Corp. told the school board during its Jan. 25 meeting too many rainy days and too much - 27 inches in the last few months - is holding up two of three construction projects. All three projects are part of a $99 million plan that includes five major projects, undertaken by the district after voters approved a $67 million bond package in spring 2014.

One project, upgrading three athletic fields and making changes to Memorial Stadium to be compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act was completed in spring 2015.

Three under way are building Oakridge Elementary School, near Oakridge Middle School; Clover Middle School on Barrett Road, and the aquatic center on Charlotte Highway, which will be operated by Upper Palmetto YMCA and maintained by the district.

“We’re in the process of picking out new furniture for the new schools,” said Chris Dalton, director of facilities.

Clayton said the project hit hardest of the three is the aquatic center. The project was the last to start, breaking ground in late June.

Clayton said the cash flow on all three projects is good.

Elementary school

Oakridge Elementary School requested a 28-day extension earlier in the year, and expects to be complete by mid-April.

“That one looks really good,” Clayton said.

Work there includes getting heat and power with about 95 percent of the building dried in.

“Most of the work going on inside of the building,” he said.

Middle school

Clover Middle School schedule will be tight to finish. Clayton said they requested a 145-day extension and expect to finish in mid-June.

“We’re really trying to improve that,” he said.

By mid-January, all three wings had roofs, and the power is scheduled the week of Feb. 8, pending weather.

Aquatic center

The aquatic center on Charlotte Highway has seen little progress from December to January, Clayton said. He said a 35-day extension had been requested putting completion at mid-August.

However, Clayton said, with the weather in December and January, it’ likely to be extended into September.

“We just gotta get a break in the rain to make headway,” he said.

Clayton said the water park will not be completed at the same time as the building.

“It will be beyond that,” he said.

As for the final project, upfiting the current Clover Middle School to become the Ninth Grade Academy renovations, Clayton said demolition work should begin in July to be finished next spring, in plenty of time for the 2017-18 school opening.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Rain dampens Clover School District construction progress."