JACKSON SCHOOL PROJECT BENEFITS FROM WEATHER

JACKSON -- The hot, dry, humid weather the past two weeks may be uncomfortable to many people, but it has been a blessing for the Jackson Middle School construction project.

Architect John Dudley of the Dudley and Stearnes architectural firm said the project now is nearly one-third complete, due in part to good working conditions.

"The contractor has completed construction of about 70 percent of the load bearing walls, allowing the steel support beams to set in place for the roofs over the gym, cafeteria and classroom areas," Dudley said. "If everything continues as it has, we're on schedule for an April 1995 completion."

Most of the walls on the west side of the classroom area of the middle school complex are finished, and cement masons are building the walls at the east end of the classroom areas, the band and music rooms, and the walls of the gym and cafeteria.

Work on the $5.7 million middle school was delayed for nearly a month earlier this year by wet weather. Construction finally resumed in early March on the 93,570-square-foot building.

Dudley said the biggest problem has been finding enough cement masons to build the walls. "The subcontractor has had to literally scour the two-state area all the way to St. Louis to find masons," he said. "There's a tremendous demand for them right now.

"With the low interest rates this year, there's a lot of construction work going on. It's been very difficult finding masons who are not already working on a project," Dudley added. "Right now, we have about 12-14 masons working at the middle school site each day. If we can maintain at least that many at the site through the end of summer, we'll stay on schedule."

Dudley said the work of the masons is vital to the scheduled completion of the building next spring. "The masons set the pace of work on the project," he said. "They have to get the concrete block walls up so the steel support beams for the roof can be set. After that, the other crafts can move in and do their work. Then, the masons come back and put the brick veneer over the exterior of the concrete block walls.

"The critical period is the next two months," Dudley added. "If we can keep the construction of the building on schedule through the end of August, we'll be in good shape as we head into fall and winter. Once the building is under roof, the crafts can work through the winter months without weather-related delays."

The new middle school is going up on a 26-acre tract at the southeast corner of Broadridge and West Independence (Route D).

When the middle school opens in August 1995 it will accommodate 700-750 students. It will house the sixth grade, which now is at West Lane Elementary School, and the seventh grade, now at the R.O. Hawkins Junior High School.

The middle school is being built to relieve a serious crowding condition at the junior high school and a growing classroom congestion problem at the nearby elementary school.

In addition to the 28 classrooms, the middle school will have two science labs, a library, kitchen and cafeteria, industrial arts room, general music room, band room, vocal music room and gym with shower and locker facilities for boys and girls.

When completed, the Jackson Middle School will be one of the largest buildings in the school district -- 60 percent larger than Orchard Elementary School.

Construction of the school is financed with revenues from a $4.7 million bond issue approved in early 1992 by 76 percent of school district voters.

In addition, the district has allocated additional capital improvement funds from recent school budgets to help pay for the school.

No increase in the tax levy is needed to retire the bonds because the district did not allow its bonded indebtedness to drop to zero.