Discussion of the ongoing construction at Carbon High School and Helper Middle School began during the regularly-scheduled school board meeting on Wednesday. Carbon School District Business Administrator Darin Lancaster took the lead on the topic.
Lancaster explained that the construction at Helper Middle School is continuing to move along at an appropriate speed with the current status being on time and on budget. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some supplies are no longer available or are above the price that was budgeted, causing some hiccups in the school district’s plans.
One example is the price of the foam that was previously drafted to insulate the walk-in freezer and refrigerators. The price has inflated and the school district is discussing going back to the drawing board to decide whether to change what they originally ordered or to pay the additional amount.
“Up until now, we really haven’t had any change orders on the Helper project,” said Lancaster.
However, the construction of Carbon High School is a different story. While the changes have not been initiated by the construction company due to lack of supplies or price inflation, changes have still been made by the school district, but Lancaster said they are for the better.
The construction of Carbon High School is continuing to inch along but big leaps are ahead. With students leaving the school for the upcoming Christmas break, the plan is to have the art wing and Grand Canyon Hall turned over before the students return.
“Things are moving slowly,” Lancaster explained, but he reiterated that they are hopeful for progress in the upcoming weeks.