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Huntington Middle School project on track for mid‑2026; buried tanks, transformer and contingency planning noted
Summary
City and school officials reported construction progress at Huntington Middle School and a connected recreation center, with substantial completion targeted for June 2026 (middle school) and August 2026 (rec center). Officials described discovery and mitigation of buried storage tanks, utility sequencing with Dominion, and contingency options if procurement or material delays occur.
City and school officials on Sept. 23 provided an update on the Huntington Middle School and adjacent Recreation Center project, saying construction is underway and progress continues toward mid‑2026 completion targets.
Craig Gallant, the cityDirector of Engineering, said the contractor received a notice to proceed in June and began work after permitting was resolved. Gallant cited the facilitiesas roughly “the middle school itself is is a 123,000 square feet approximately,” and the recreation center about 97,000 square feet. He told the joint session the middle school has priority and the project is being managed under a single contract with two crews working simultaneously.
Officials reported unanticipated site work: crews located and removed three buried storage tanks on the former school site where the rec center will be built; the contaminated soil was mitigated. Gallant identified remaining critical path items as delivery of electrical design information and transformer installation (Dominion Energy has procured the transformer and is to provide design details to the contractor), stormwater infrastructure tying the two facilities together, and structural steel erection. He said the middle schoolsubstantial completion target is June 2026 and the recreation centeris targeted for August 2026; current percent complete figures were roughly mid‑30s for both buildings.
School operations staff described preparations for move‑in and opening. Rusty Fairhart, chief operations officer for the school division, said a furniture committee is finalizing selections, color and finish samples are nearly complete pending a terrazzo sample, and alumni are helping craft building graphics to reflect Huntingtonhistory. Fairhart said the division maintains a public Huntington project webpage with monthly updates and photographs.
Council members pressed for clarity on risks that could delay student occupancy and asked about bus‑route impacts. Gallant and Fairhart said contingency plans are in place — including shifting contractor workforce, expediting change orders where needed, and temporary power options such as generators if certain electrical components are delayed — and pledged continued coordination with the division and the public.
Project cost figures noted in the briefing were $77,000,000 for the school and $67,000,000 for the recreation center; reported change orders were about 2.4% for the school and 1.5% for the rec center. Officials said they would continue biweekly construction progress meetings with school staff and provide joint public communications as milestones occur.
The city and school representatives closed by saying they plan a coordinated public rollout when the schedule and site conditions allow, including a possible ribbon cutting once the facilities are ready.
