Morgan County Schools reports progress on multiple construction projects; Union Hill final work delayed by missing flooring

Staff updates to the Morgan County Schools Board of Education covered ongoing construction at Union Hill, Bethel/Price, Brewer High School and new baseball/softball facilities, with most projects described as on budget and close to completion but with several outstanding punch-list items and an installation delay at Union Hill.

The project updates matter because they affect school openings, accessibility and athletics schedules across the district. Board members heard where work remains and what the district is withholding or scheduling before final acceptance.

A staff member told the board that “we currently have 5 projects going on” and that “we're still holding a little over a million dollars over their head” on Union Hill because the contractor has not finished required work. The staff member said flooring delivered in April is sitting onsite but crews were “a little over 600 square foot short” when they began installation and the district is waiting on additional flooring. The update also cited toilet partitions being installed, exterior work needed to fix a sidewalk that “doesn't meet ADA compliance,” touch-up painting and weekly meetings to push completion.

The staff member said ceiling tiles are not installed in some storage/utility areas because above-ceiling work is incomplete and an overhead inspection is pending. For Union Hill, staff reported a final inspection set for Sept. 4 and said the project was “running a month ahead of schedule” and appeared to be on track and under budget for final reporting, though the formal contract completion date was not specified in the meeting record.

On other school projects, the staff member showed photos and described Bethel/Price (library, auditorium and cafeteria areas) as largely finished: furniture and classroom technology were reported in place “ready to go” and the district said books and final moves remained. The update noted some classrooms required structural bracing work and a small number of technology or finish items remained on punch lists.

District athletics facilities — described as the baseball and softball projects — were about halfway complete. Staff said First Team had completed the initial phase and that Game Day would finish turf, bleachers, the press box and lighting. The report said lights were on-site but not yet installed because of electrical/rating issues; staff described a need for dry weather to complete exterior work and said contractors planned to install a storm drain line when conditions permit. For Danville High School specifically, staff said they were seeking a partial inspection for the week of Aug. 25 to allow use of new bleachers, concession stand and press box; bathroom HVAC units for one site were on back order, so temporary portable toilets would be provided for early events.

Brewer High School was described as on budget with about $600,000 spent to date; crews were installing footers for baseball, softball and soccer and moving utility lines for a storm drain. Staff said progress was weather-dependent but that work was advancing in phases to keep crews productive.

Board members had no substantive debate recorded on the construction updates during the presentation. Several short clarifying remarks and positive comments (for example, “Really nice”) were made from the board during the slide presentation.

The district did not provide final dollar totals or contractor names for every project on the record presented to the board. Several finish dates were described as “pending dry weather” or as scheduled inspections; exact contract completion dates were not specified for every project in the meeting transcript.

Looking ahead, staff asked the board to expect final reports and punch-list confirmations at forthcoming meetings and noted ongoing weekly construction coordination for Union Hill until completion.