Superintendent of Perry Township Schools
It’s simply amazing what a difference a month makes. Just four weeks ago I wrote about breaking ground for our kindergarten centers. Since a lot has happened during the past month, let me bring you up-to-date.
Work is progressing rapidly at MacArthur Elementary ... when it’s not raining. A temporary construction fence is in place for phase 1, and you’ll notice a lot of stockpiled dirt for fill material. Crews have also cleared the site and a few trees, all of which will be replaced. Work will begin on the storm water system, and all of the precast structures are on-site.
Detention ponds, designed to temporarily hold a set amount of water while slowly draining to another location, are in place and utilities for the site are installed. The updated parking lots should be ready by late July. Over the next week workers should finish with tree protection, landscaping and signage.
The Homecroft site is just a few days behind MacArthur. Crews have put in a silt fence and fiber logs to help with drainage. A temporary fence has been installed. Power crews have redirected power lines around the site. In the coming days they will begin to remove the shelter house, continue grading the north bus drive and site clearing and complete new sidewalks next to Southport Road.
The Rosa Parks and Jeremiah Gray sites are on a schedule similar to Homecroft. The grounds have been cleared and construction is underway.
A project that’s much further along is Winchester Village Elementary. For those of you who haven’t been by there in a while, you’ll notice almost a different looking, larger building. It has literally taken on a new shape as construction continues to expand the size of the school and make its classrooms more conducive for instruction.
I recently had the opportunity along with our school board and several administrators to walk through the new section at Winchester. We saw 21st century classrooms, office space and a more secure entryway. A lot of progress is going on around the new fourth- and fifth-grade wings. The brick on the outside makes it look like a real school now. Crews are working on ceramic tile. The target date for completing the wings and front office is later this month.
This investment in early childhood education is truly an investment into the future, and we know it could not be possible without your support of our school district. Building these kindergarten facilities will finally allow us to give our other grades the room they need within our schools to keep up with the growth of the district, especially in the elementary grades. Our teachers will finally have adequate space for instructing.
The completion date for all four kindergarten centers is July 2017. This move opens up more than 60 classroom spaces in our elementary schools.