Work to start on McKeesport Area school after 3-month delay
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After a three-month delay, McKeesport Area School District will be able to start construction soon on the new Cornell Elementary/Intermediate School in McKeesport now that an erosion and sedimentation pollution control permit has been obtained for the project.
The permit, issued this week by the Allegheny County Conservation District, had been the cause of much consternation in recent discussions among school board members.
Construction was set to start on the project Oct. 15, but the work was delayed while the district waited for the permit.
"This is great news," said school board President Patricia Maksin said when told on Tuesday the permit had been issued. "I'll go up there and throw the first darn shovel of dirt myself to get things going."
Mrs. Maksin said she expects the board to hold a ceremonial ground-breaking at the construction site soon, but more important, she said, is for the real construction crews to get to work.
"If we get it started ASAP, barring any unforeseen circumstances we may be able to meet the construction deadline. We will be cutting it close, but this at least gives us a shot," Mrs. Maksin said.
Business manager David Seropian was more optimistic: "We'll be able to start full-bore now and expect to meet the planned opening," he said.
The school board awarded a $29.25 million construction contract on the Cornell school to Gurtner Construction in July and planned to break ground in the early fall and have the school completed for the 2013-14 school year.
But in November, project manager Gerald Tedesco told the board work had been delayed for the past month because of the lack of a permit. It was a topic of discussion again at last week's meeting.
First Published February 2, 2012 4:51 am
