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Contractors report steady progress on new Pine Bluff high school; major drainage, footings and slab work underway
Summary
Architects and contractors told the board the high school construction is on schedule: major storm drainage pieces are installed, footings and slab work are beginning, and masons will start masonry as slabs cure. The team reported 85,000 cubic yards of fill brought to the site and demolition nearing completion.
Lucas Architects and the construction team gave the Pine Bluff School District Board a construction progress update for the new high school project, reporting steady progress, major drainage installation and a schedule that anticipates slabs and structural steel by winter.
Clayton Bacon of Lucas Architects described the site work as "smooth" given dry conditions and said the project has installed the bulk of an engineered storm drain system and poured many footings. "We've got footings, some footings in, and we're up to grade our building pad just about everywhere," Bacon said. He said masons have mobilized and that the project hopes to begin slab pours at the end of the month, with masonry walls following and red iron (structural steel) going up in December if weather permits.
Why it matters: Board members were shown that the project is advancing on the schedule presented in prior meetings and that demolition and earthwork are largely complete, which affects bond spending, occupancy timelines and next vendor procurements.
Details shared at the meeting: - Drainage: The team said the hardened drain units are roughly 12 feet wide by 10 feet tall and about 6 feet deep; several hundred of the roughly 300-piece system are already installed and the line will cross the football field to the west side of the site. - Earthwork: The team said approximately 85,000 cubic yards of fill have been brought to the site to level and raise pads. - Materials reuse: Concrete from on-site demolition is being crushed and reused for gravel base in drive and staging areas. - Schedule: Slab pours are scheduled to start at the end of the month (November); inspectors and the team expect masonry walls through November and red iron erection in December, contingent on dry weather. - Remaining work: Finish demolition of a smaller building (Trice Building) is expected early next month; the primary storm drain near the former McFadden Gym remains in use as the site's low point.
Bacon invited board members to the project's owner-architect-contractor (OAC) meetings, which are currently held biweekly and will increase in frequency as the project advances. He said an upcoming OAC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 29, and district staff offered on-site walks for board members on that date.
The update was delivered during the facilities report; board members asked scheduling and walk-through questions following the presentation.
