Durham Elementary School Construction

Released Pictures of the new building 4 of 4

2010-01-19T08:08:00.001-08:00

Released Pictures of the new building 3 of 4

2010-01-19T08:07:00.001-08:00

Released Pictures of the new building 2 of 4

2010-01-19T08:06:00.001-08:00

Released Pictures of the new building 1 of 4

2010-01-19T07:56:00.000-08:00

October Construction with Brick and Roof

2009-10-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

October construction of the roof and finishing the brick work on the gym, cafe, and front entrance.

September: construction site has changed

2009-09-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

Service side and the Kindergarten through second grade wing being constructed.

LOOK AT THE CHANGES

2009-08-25T06:14:00.000-07:00

Part Two of New Building

2009-08-02T01:25:00.000-07:00

More pictures !

New Construction Pictures for July

2009-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

WoW! The building is really taking shape since we left in June. These pictures are the most recent of the building and the site. In just 10 months the building will be complete and ready for the leaders of tomorrow!

Signing the Beam

2009-06-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Students sign the beam before it is installed.

Today is May 29: Snapshot of the site

2009-05-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

Today is May 29, 2009

Installing the last part of the foundation and back filling

2009-05-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Today, working in the rain, the foundation for the back side of the school is being installed and the construction workers are back filling the side foundations. At times we can feel the vibrations in our classrooms as the workers compact the back fill.

Steel being installed

2009-05-29T08:45:00.001-07:00

It is amazing how quickly the building is taking shape. The steel supports are being installed as they are being delivered. Even in the rain the steel workers are installing the steel beams.

Materials keep arriving to the site

2009-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Each day more and more materials keep arriving to the new site. Somedays it seems when one truck leaves the next truck is right behind it. Most of the materials are being off loaded to the new parking lot surface.

Geothermal wells being drilled

2009-05-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

Geothermal wells are being drilled by two drilling towers. The students are thrilled when the water shoots from the well before workmen install the black piping. When completed, the new building will be heated and cooled using geothermal energy.

Parking lot and lights installed

2009-05-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Parking lot and driveways to the new site have been installed. This is the first coat, a second coat or finished coat will be installed before the opening of the new school.

Week of April 27, 2009

2009-04-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

The construction site now has a new sign. It is official we are building the new school.
Foundations and footings are 3/4 completed. This is the gym and cafe side of the new building project.

Construction workers are back filling the foundations and putting in outside lighting poles.

First layer of asphalt installed for the parking lots and driveways.

The dirt mountains are beginning to be moved around the new site.

Foundation and roadwork

2009-04-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

This week the construction site is very active at moving the top soil around the building site.

More pile of top soil being moved to areas around the site to be spread at a later date.

Roadwork and preparing the driveway and parking lots of the new site.

The foundation is being poured at the front of the building. The footings are being prepared for the walls to be set and poured. In the distance you can see the entrance to the third and fourth grade wing.

2009-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Underground piping and the (blue) foundation being installed.
Installing the foundations on the k-2 wing and the 3-4 wing with blue insulation.

2009-04-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

Underground piping for the lighting in the parking lot.

Finishing the driveway off from Hallowell Road.

Leveling the parking lot and installing the cement lighting foundation.

Bus Circle

2009-04-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Contractors are working on the bus circle that will be located in the front of the new building.

2009-03-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

Construction of the entrance to the new school began this week.

Drainage and roadwork continues this week.
More drainage and water run-off collection drains being installed.

Dirt piles continue to grow as the site becomes level to begin building.

Leveling the site and building the roads.

March 14 and 15th the new septic system was connected to the old building until the new building is completed. The school was closed for the weekend until the septic system was back on line. Progress on the site is moving fast and it is amazing to see how quickly the construction workers move the material around the site.

March 9, 2009 Construction UpDate

2009-03-09T11:29:00.001-07:00

Septic Tank and Leach Field are completed and scheduled to be connected to the old school on March 14, 2009. The old septic system needs to be removed for the new foundation of the new building to be prepared,
Dirt mount behind the portable classrooms of grades 3-5.

The dirt mount on the old baseball field at third base.

Dirt mound behind the portable classrooms of grades 3-5.

Site Prep Mountains of Dirt

2009-03-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

Construction company is clearing the top soil to prep the site for development. The soil piles will be come larger.

Building the Road to the New School Site

2009-03-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Removing Tress

2009-02-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

Logging company removing the trees from the new construction site.

Building Removed to Begin Construction

2009-02-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

The Leanard Building and Garage were removed to make way to begin construction of the road.

Building Design Plans

2009-01-22T12:40:00.000-08:00

These pictures are the latest computer generated drawings of the new building set to open August 2010.

Main entrance of the building

South side of the building

North-West side of the building

North-East Side of the Building

2009-01-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

Central Maine Power arrived early this morning with temperatures of -5 degrees. Service contractors for Central Maine Power installed the power lines to the new school site. They also installed a new service pole. This project is moving fast! Check back to see what is going to happen tomorrow.

School Design information

2009-01-15T11:40:00.000-08:00

Located on a 27-acre site, this new Pre-K through grade 8 facility will replace several smaller classroom buildings and portable classrooms.

Classroom clusters are joined together by naturally day-lighted common spaces that allow for group work as well as breakout space. Rooms for special services are located at the core of the building near stairs for easy access by all students and staff.

A full sized gymnasium, cafeteria, stage, art and music room are also provided. The administration suite of offices is located at the main entrance to allow staff to control security. Adjacent to the main entry are the integrated library, discovery lab and computer lab which will contain the most current technology and resources.

The new school will incorporate a geothermal mechanical heating and cooling system as well as a daylight harvesting control system. The school is oriented on the site to maximize daylight collecting. All teaching spaces will have natural daylight and views of the impressive landscape.

Building Committee Statement/Goals

2009-01-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

When the building committee first started work it considered the following statement to direct its initial efforts:
The school in Durham has a great responsibility to meet the unique needs of the town's children. It is the only school in town, one in which the children spend nine of their thirteen years of public school, that sees them from their first day of school through to adolescence and is the center of their community.
These demands require a school facility that is dynamic, engaging and that supports and inspires the intellectual and physical growth of its students. The school design will incorporate:
*Technology that brings the world to Durham and takes Durham to the rest of the world. Utilizing wireless and mobile technology like laptops, interactive technology like Smart boards and digital projectors and multi media technology for music, video and animation, the new school will provide the opportunities to Durham children previously limited to larger or more affluent communities.
*Spaces that meet the developmental needs of five year olds and fourteen year olds in equal measure, that are flexible enough to meet the fluctuations in enrollment from one year to the next and that support the emphasis on collaboration and community that are inherent in a K- 8 school.
*Performance spaces and community areas that accommodate everything from an intimate audience to a community gathering. Weekly assemblies celebrate student learning, student work and recognize individual and community achievements. Students perform plays, dramatic readings and oral presentations to demonstrate understanding and inform and educate others.
*Room and resources for experimentation, discovery and product development. Learning by doing, by creating solutions to problems and testing hypotheses, engages children and leads to higher level thinking skills. We provide opportunities for children to apply their knowledge and skills in real life contexts through project based learning.

New Construction Fence Installed

2009-01-14T13:03:00.001-08:00

Today was very exciting for the students at Durham Elementary School. The new construction fence began to be installed at the new school site. Construction workers installed the fence running from route 9 to the property behind the school. Please continue to read this blog to see what is happening next.