Morgan City High to open on time

It’s down to the wire, but school officials say construction at Morgan City High will not deter the opening of school Thursday.
A group of administrators and school board members joined architect Carl Blum and engineer Craig Campbell for a tour of the school Monday to determine whether classes could begin as scheduled.
At issue is the $3.55 million construction of a new library, media center and student commons area done in conjunction with an air conditioner replacement project.
Principal Mickey Fabre said this morning workers are scheduled to finish upstairs today and run the air conditioner this afternoon. Cleanup by the custodial staff has begun with the assistance of employees from other maintenance districts.
As of this morning, three of four air handlers servicing the school were working. A fifth serving the new library is not running but is not needed to open the school, Fabre said.
During the walk-through Monday, large sections of upstairs hallways were filled with construction materials and dust along with items that belong in the classrooms.
Teachers in those areas have not been able to access their rooms to prepare them for the coming school year, Assistant Superintendent Teresa Bagwell said.
Fabre said the plan was for them to be able to use Wednesday, scheduled as an in-service day for teachers, to be able to prepare their rooms.
There may be some finishing touches to complete once school starts, such as touch-up paint and tweaking camera positions, Fabre said.
Every ceiling tile, duct and air handler in the school was taken down, Blum said.
The delay is caused by the sheer scope of the project, Blum said. Construction began in earnest on May 27.
“It was an awful lot of work in a short period of time,” Blum said.
Blum said of contractor Bonneval Construction, “they were giving it a good shot at having the library ready but moved resources to get the school open.”
It will be another two to three weeks before the library is finished, Blum said, adding that furniture for it should begin arriving within a week.
The contractor has until Aug. 14 to complete the work under his contract, Blum said.