Unexpected issues have led to slight delays on construction projects at a South Porcupine school.
After the last school year, District School Board Ontario North East (DSB1) started a $2.4 million project at Roland Michener Secondary School (RMSS).
While the aim was to finish the entire project over the summer, some work is now expected to be done by early September and part of the project will be done in 2024, said the board's building department in a project update provided to TimminsToday.
Work is being done on Moore Street and at the front of the school on Legion Drive to upgrade the site and improve safety for students and staff.
The new design offers more than 80 parking spots, two bus parking spaces, new curbs, drainage swales, accessible play area, poured concrete walkways, and most important a bus pull-off lane.
"When we first set out to tackle this project, our intention was to have all work completed within a two-month window. However, with poor soil conditions and soft substrate, along with other unforeseen issues the project has been slightly delayed. We are working closely with Interpaving to expedite the project and feel we will have the parking lot portion as well as the southern access lane completed early September. The accessible playground is tentatively scheduled for early October however is weather dependent," reads the update.
"At this time, we feel it is too late in the year to tackle the bus pull-off safely, as it intercepts three of our exit doors, two of which will be used to welcome our students. This portion of the job will be completed summer 2024."
The project meant that trees growing on Moore Street that have been a fixture since the school opened as RMSS in 1968 have been cut down.
The board says that it was necessary to allow for the pull-off lane for buses and the play area.
"They were 50-plus years old, most showing signs of decay and would have been removed due to the brittle nature of the species. New maple trees will be planted in the coming weeks to replace the ones that were cut," said the board.