WEATHER SLOWS WORK ON JACKSON MIDDLE SCHOOL

JACKSON -- The Jackson Middle School construction project is more three weeks behind schedule because of unusually wet weather that in September. Over 10 inches of rain fell in the Cape Girardeau area last month, but the project's architect, John Dudley, says most of the weather-related delay will be made up soon.

Earth work at the 26-acre site at the intersection of Broadridge and West Independence began in late July. It was scheduled to be completed on Sept. 15, but heavy rains delayed completion of the site work until now.

"We should have all of the earth work finished by next week," said Dudley. "As soon as the work is completed, we'll come back and take the final contour surveys that are needed to complete the drawings for our plans and specifications. By that time we may be only one to one-and-a-half weeks behind schedule.

"As soon as the plans and specifications are completed, the project will be ready to bid late this month. We'll give the contractors another 30 days to prepare their bids, with a deadline of late November."

Dudley said the delay is not as serious as it first appeared. He said: "I know it may seem like a lot, but we're only three-and-a-half weeks off from a year's worth of planning for the overall project. If we had not been able to split the project and do the earthwork this year, the building would have never been ready by next winter.

He said all exposed hillsides were seeded and strawed this week to protect from erosion this winter. The earthen retention basin is also completed and final grading where the 81,635-square-foot school will be constructed at the northwest corner of the site is nearing completion.

The contractor for the earthwork portion of the project is Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson. Penzel's bid of $192,000 was the lowest of seven bids received.

Another possible delay to the project was averted with receipt of the local wage-rate determination, Dudley said.

"The next big `if' is good winter weather. We need a mild winter in order to get the concrete pad and plumbing installed. Once the foundation and pad is poured and set, the rest of the work can continue through the winter, as the weather permits.

"We're taking steps to help the construction during the winter by developing some formless footings so we can eliminate several steps of construction. If we can get this done, the contractor will not have to do a lot of backfilling around the foundation and pad."

Dudley said construction of the building has to begin this winter if it is to be completed in late December 1994. Current plans are to move into the school during the Christmas-New Year's break next year.

When completed, the school will accommodate 700 to 750 students. They will come from the R.O. Hawkins Junior High School and West Lane Elementary School. The new school will contain 24 classrooms plus two science labs, a library, kitchen and cafeteria, industrial arts room, general music room, band room, vocal music room, and a gym with shower and locker facilities for boys and girls.

Construction of the middle school will be financed with the proceeds of a $4.7 million bond issue approved last spring by a 76 percent majority of voters who cast ballots..

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

Proceeds from the bond issue will be matched with $400,000 the district allocated in the 1992-93 budget for the new building, plus another $100,000 earmarked for the middle school in this year's budget. Another $200,000 will come from interest generated on the $4.7 million bond proceed.