Salem High School > Construction Update

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March 15, 2010 |

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PROJECT TEAM

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	Owner Project Manager KV Associates, Inc. 303 Congress Street Boston, MA 02210 www.kvaboston.com Construction Manager Gilbane Building Company 155 Federal Street Suite 1100 Boston, MA 02110 www.gilbaneco.com Architect Flansburgh Associates, Inc. 77 North Washington Street Boston, MA 02114 www.faiarchitects.com

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	City of Salem Salem Public Schools Salem High School

BUILDING PLAN

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CONSTRUCTION LOOKAHEAD

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	The changes at Salem High School are unbelievable! Every day that goes by results in new accomplishments, all of which make the Salem High School a more friendly and welcoming environment for learning. The achievements on this project to date are numerous. We have completed the entire brick veneer of the building and the roof. (Click Here for Brick Photos) New windows continue to be installed including curtainwalls (walls of glass) and storefronts (glass building entrances) (Click Here for Window Photos). The students are enjoying completely renovated science labs with new workstations and beautiful new casework (Click Here for Lab Photos). Cafeterias and kitchens are bright, airy and have state-of-the-art equipment. Most of the unseen work is also in place. For example, the boiler room is complete with the new gas-fired boilers on line. You can't see them, but you can sure feel the heat. Just take a drive by the school and you won't recognize the place. It is exciting to see all of the changes taking place before your eyes after so many years of planning. The construction period from June 2006 through December 2006, known as Phases 1A and 1B, was unbelievably fast-paced. The work on the project was being performed at an average rate of $4 Million per month, or $1 Million per week! The project peaked during this period at 230 trades workers on the site on one day! The schedule through December was extremely aggressive, and all involved are proud to say it was a complete success. Since then we have completed Phases 2 and 4 (don't get hung up on the numbers, we changed the phases to better suit the school's operations.) These two phases primarily consisted of classroom and selected corridor renovations. We also completed another extremely aggressive summer work schedule in July and August, 2007. Much the same as last summer, when the final bell rang in June and the students left the campus, the trade workers were right behind them ready to start the work. Some of the accomplishments this summer include: Replacement of the Glass Curtainwalls at the Main Entrance, IMC, Art Rooms, and Band Room Area. Installation of a new front entrance and vestibule as well as a new North Entrance and Vestibule. Installation of all remaining windows and radiant heating systems in the cafeterias. Completion of all main corridors including ceilings, lighting, lockers, painting, and floors. Completion of the Nurses Suite and Teen Health Areas. Installation of the new Courtyard Roof. Continued installation of classroom windows. Installation of several new doors and associated hardware. Installation of New Security Systems. Click Here to see the photo galleries with numerous updated photos of the work completed this summer. We are now focusing all of our efforts on the Phase 5 area of the building. This area constitutes the classrooms located on the third and second floors immediately adjacent to the main entrance lobby of the building. The work of this phase includes the renovations of classrooms and associated corridors. Work includes some new flooring, new ceilings, new light fixtures, new PA systems, data connections in the classrooms, upgraded sprinkler and fire alarm systems, and windows. Phase 5 will complete in December in order to allow for a move to occur over the holiday break. The final phase of classrooms will commence in January, 2008 and complete in April. Click Here for Phase 5 Construction Update Photos. Even though the craziness of the summer is behind us, there is still a great deal of work to be completed. We thank the efforts of the hundreds of trades workers who have been a part of this project since it started. Without their efforts, none of these accomplishments would be possible. Stay tuned for updates.

THE AIR WE BREATHE

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	Air Quality is a major focus as we undergo the renovations to the high school. Much has been done to insure that the quality of the air in the occupied areas of the building are not affected by the ongoing construction operations behind the temporary partitions. This is being accomplished through the use of sealed temporary partition walls to separate the construction areas from the occupied areas. In addition to these sealed partitions, negative pressure fans are installed throughout the construction areas to draw air from the construction areas, filter through hepa filters and exhaust it to the outside of the building. This process creates a "negative pressure" which is similar to a slight vacuum. This will insure that air is drawn from the occupied spaces into the construction areas and then out of the building. This process will help to insure that dust and smells do not migrate out of the construction areas. In addition to these measures a testing program is in place. In February 2006, prior to any construction operations commencing, a three day baseline testing program was undertaken. At that time, numerous samples of the air were taken in many areas of the building. This data was recorded and was used to set the baseline for air quality within the building. From that point forward, any time construction has been ongoing in the occupied building, biweekly testing has occurred. This biweekly testing is done in the same areas as the original baseline testing was performed and is used to measure air quality against the original February benchmark. This testing will continue throughout the remainder of the project on a biweekly basis. To date all readings have been on target with the baselines and all readings, including the benchmark readings themselves have been well within the acceptable standards for air quality.