More inept construction management on display yesterday as schools opened with varying degrees of construction chaos. What’s important here is not the details of the dust, wires, ceilings that were left “to be completed” but more Opdahl’s dismissive attitude about complaints aired. From The Hour:
At Nathan Hale Middle School, some of the renovated hallways appeared shiny and new with bright white drop ceilings and red, white and blue floor tiles while others were less inviting.
In the school’s sixth grade hallway, the drop ceiling was not yet installed, revealing wiring and lightbulbs encased in metal cages. Similarly, the floor tile was missing, leaving only a dusty concrete surface for students and teachers to walk on.
Alex Rossner, a science teacher at the school, pointed out the abundant dust that covered the floor and some loose nails in a corner.
“You can see, dust is everywhere,” he said. “There’s no excuse for that. This is not how to do business,” he said. Rossner noted that the school had an industrial vacuum cleaner which could have easily been used to clean the floor.
Rossner, who also serves as treasurer of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers, co-chair of the NFT Health and Safety Committee and Head Building Steward for Nathan Hale, said he was concerned about the health risk the unfinished renovations posed to students.
“If you get kids who have some chronic respiratory situations, this is going to be critical,” he said. “Parents will have to be very vigilant about it.”
With this in mind, Rossner said he planned to speak with the school’s principal, Robert McCain, later that day.
But that afternoon, McCain said the dust was “not a big deal at all.” School custodians swept the floor but did not vacuum it Tuesday night, he said, but it will be vacuumed every night from now on.
Similarly, Opdahl said, “We wouldn’t have a building open if there were (health and safety risks).” He would not respond directly to Rossner’s comments, however.
So let’s see, the guy who sits on the NFT committee regarding health and safety says the dust is an issue, and Opdahl doesn’t think its a safety risk? I guess he just added medical practitioner to his extensive financial and construction talents. Making sure your construction projects are compelte before opening day might be one of those things you want to accomplish.
At Ponus Ridge Middle School, amid more than $8 million of work, Principal Linda Sumpter said construction successes have outnumbered the problems. New science classrooms are ready for use, new windows installed and a revamped cafeteria has made its debut, she said.
However, some areas of the building are still without ceiling tiles — exposed piping and wiring, and temporary lighting, lined some halls. Flooring is still missing, in places, revealing bare cement.
And over at NHS, well despite promises from Opdahl that all the construction would be completed by the start of the school year, he’s now singing a different tune.
Wednesday morning at Norwalk High School, the site of the biggest renovation project at $39.7 million, construction workers milled around the property among the throngs of returning students and a mortar mixer churned noisily outside the Pat Spinola Natatorium. According to Opdahl, work is continuing throughout the NHS building.
“The windows are still going in, some of the flooring still has to go in,” he said.
Opdahl said he expects the newly constructed 18,000-square-foot science classroom wing to be completed in about three weeks; the pool, also in the midst of an upgrade, to be opened around Oct. 1; and the new culinary arts room to be done “during the school year, hopefully.”
According to Opdahl:
As of Wednesday afternoon, Opdahl said he had received “no complaints” regarding the school buildings.
Which is why the elevator at Ponus requires an attendant to sit in it because the elevator hasn’t been inspected and cleared for use.
Does Opdahl manage to do any job well? I doubt it. He seems incapable of holding contractors to schedules and budgets, forcing Norwalk taxpayers to shell out more money for jobs then they should. He tries to hide his cost overruns by raiding construction funds of other schools, which is why Jefferson has modular classrooms instead of a renovated school. Then he comes before the common council, BOE and other city agencies and lies abotu costs and projections. It is long past the time to fire Opdahl.
source: The Hour, City Schools Open Amid Construction, By LAUREN GARRISON, and AMANDA PINTO August, 30, 2007
