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Liberty Curtain school project nearing completion; demolition to start as contractors finish punch list
Summary
Project team told the Keystone Central School District board the new Liberty Curtain building is more than 90% complete, with exterior work nearly finished, electrical trailing other trades, change orders low, and demolition of the old building scheduled to begin as permanent power and asbestos abatement are finalized.
The Keystone Central School District heard a progress update Thursday on the new Liberty Curtain school building that showed the project is in its final phase and expected to come in under budget.
Project presenter Jeff Straub told the board the job is about 92% complete on schedule and about 90% complete on costs. "As far as the exterior of the building, we're roughly about 98% complete," he said, and most interior work is done except for electrical tie‑ins and classroom wiring.
Straub said plumbing and HVAC work were essentially finished — "99.8, 99.5" percent complete — while the electrical contractor is the last major trade to finish. He said the district had processed roughly $50,000 in change orders and expects a $27,000 credit for final cleaning because the district decided to perform the final cleaning itself, bringing net change orders to roughly $30,000, or "less than a quarter percent" of the contract.
The team is holding about $1 million in retainage across contractors and will release funds only after verifying quality, Straub said. "When you're holding, for instance, $600,000 on a general contractor, that's a large sum of money, that they can't just walk away," he said, explaining the district's approach to final payments.
Permanent power tie‑in with the utility had not been completed at the time of the update, which Straub described as affecting the schedule for demolition and abatement of the old building. He said asbestos abatement and initial demolition work were expected to begin the following week, with large‑scale demolition scheduled to start on Monday pending final utility turnover and abatement work.
Straub also said the project team staged teachers' supplies outside classrooms to speed set up, and that kitchen equipment is installed but will require cleaning and health clearances before use. He told the board the gym/multipurpose room is finished, including final floor line work and wall graphics.
Board members thanked Straub and district staff for the low number of change orders and the project's progress. Superintendent Redmond reminded the public that demolition areas will be closed for safety when work begins.
The presentation did not include a board vote; staff provided the update and said routine contract closeout and inspections will continue in the weeks ahead.
