MERIDEN — Students entering or returning to Platt High School in three weeks will take classes in a new academic wing and play on new athletic fields, but will have to wait until January for a gymnasium and auditorium.
With three out of four phases complete, workers on the $118 million Platt renovation project are now demolishing a large portion of the old building on the northeastern side to make way for the gymnasium, auditorium and administrative offices, said Michael Grove, assistant school superintendent.
But construction workers have run into a problem with asbestos-containing material in the school’s main gymnasium, which has delayed demolition by several weeks, said project facilitator Glenn Lamontagne. It wasn’t immediately clear if the added work would put the project over budget. Metal clamps from the old gym floor left thousands of indentations in the concrete slab under it. Those indentations hold an asbestos-containing material, so the entire slab needs to be treated and mitigated.
Environmental engineer Fuss & O’Neill Inc. and general contractor O&G Industries Inc. were working with school officials on the best way to deal with the problem.
“That’s proven more difficult and that’s pushed us back a couple of weeks,” Lamontagne said.
Platt students will use gymnasium space at Lincoln Middle School, the Boys & Girls Club, Wilcox Technical High School and the new Maloney High School gymnasium, which is expected to be completed in September.
School officials hope the auditorium will be complete in January, and the gymnasium in December. A temporary bus loop was paved on Coe Avenue and the student drop-off and pickup area is ready on Oregon Road. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The findings were part of a new national poll commissioned by AEM to gauge voter perceptions and attitudes about the current and future state of U.S. infrastructure amid a high-profile election. The poll found that registered voters, regardless of political affiliation, recognize the declining state of the nation's infrastructure as an issue that should be addressed and believe that the federal government should do more to improve infrastructure across the board.
“Americans across the political spectrum understand the dire state of U.S. infrastructure and believe that the federal government should do more to improve our infrastructure,” said Dennis Slater, president of AEM. “Voters recognized that increased federal funding for assets such as roads, bridges, and inland waterways will have a positive impact on the economy, and they are looking to the federal government to repair and modernize.”
The national poll identified a number of key findings, including:
• Nearly half (46 percent) of registered voters believe that the state of the nation's infrastructure has gotten worse in the last five years.
• A significant majority (80 – 90 percent) of registered voters say that roads, bridges and energy grids are in some or extreme need of repairs. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE