News

Record rainfall, hurricanes, mud delay new Edneyville school opening

By Bill Moss, Published: April 2, 2019

Two hurricanes, record rainfall and months of deep mud in 2018 delayed work at the new Edneyville Elementary School, pushing the opening from mid-August to mid-November and move-in to either the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays, the Henderson County Board of Commissioners learned Monday night.

Although construction contracts routinely have bad-weather days built in, the number of can't-work days was not nearly high enough to survive 80 inches of rain, an unusual early December snowstorm, an ice storm and other climatic calamities, Dave Berry, the county's capital construction project manager, told commissioners.

"That number has been exceeded by 46 weather impact days," he said. As a result, the county and the contractor renegotiated the date to turn the building over to the county. The new date is Nov. 13. The overall completion date of April 1, 2020, exactly one year from Monday's meeting, remains the same. Once the new school is finished and students and faculty move in, the contractor will bulldoze the old school, finish the parking lot and complete other word, Berry said.

“I’ve been on this site and I’m very pleased with the progress the contractor has been able to make considering all the elements he’s had to deal with," Commissioner Bill Lapsley said.

Schools Superintendent Bo Caldwell said administrators, the school principal and teachers will decide the best option for moving closer to the time when the new school is finished. With Thanksgiving as late as it can be, on Nov. 28, the school system leaders could decide that three more weeks — school gets out for Christmas at noon on Dec. 20 — would make the move slightly more leisurely.