BERLIN — Berlin High School may have to wait another month to reach substantial completion of the ongoing renovations.
The project was supposed to be done by the end of this month. Due to a manufacturing mistake however, town officials say the wait may potentially be longer.
“The laminate on the paneling in the auditorium was not working out and we didn’t want to start hanging stuff if it was going to come down,” said Eva Gallupe, director of business operations.
She said the manufacturer will be covering the laminate replacement and any overtime that is needed.
The jazz room and chorus room are also still closed but are expected to open later this month.
Gallupe presented the updates on the project and the delay to the Board of Education during a recent meeting.
Superintendent Dave Erwin announced that the ribbon cutting ceremony would be postponed until more information was known.
The band room is also still closed. Gallupe said the release of the room depends on the completion of the auditorium.
During the summer, a majority of the project was finished with students able to access new classrooms and features.
Erwin said, before school started, he was excited that the project was nearing the finish line.
“We really needed to improve the facility and bring it up to today’s standards,” he said.
Among the upgrades are two gyms, a modern cafeteria called “On Trays,” more natural light, a new main entrance, and additional classrooms. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
WALLINGFORD – State officials are planning construction to the brownstone rail bridge spanning Route 150 in Yalesville as a part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter rail that will pass through Wallingford.
The construction will add a second rail track to the bridge, as well as a U-shaped section on the track’s sides that will provide additional support for the multi-track bed, said John Bernick, a Wallingford resident and structural engineer who is managing the commuter rail project.
Bernick does not foresee the project causing any traffic disruption. The construction is scheduled to finish in one year, he added. The bridge, constructed in the 19th century, is believed to be one of the first skew arched bridges built in the United States. The bridge is labeled as a skew arch because it meets Route 150 (Main Street) at 30 degrees, not a right angle.
While much about train travel has evolved since its construction, the bridge, which was initially built tall enough to allow for the passage of horse-drawn hay racks, has remained a constant in Wallingford.
Historically, the bridge is perhaps best known as the near-fatal scene of one of America’s great sports heroes. On Oct. 2, 1920, then-25-year-old Babe Ruth collided with a truck while driving a new roadster to Springfield, according to The Morning Oregonian. Fortunately for the New York Yankees, who Ruth just completed his first season with, the Bambino left the crash unharmed and went on to hit another 611 home runs in his career.
A report from the Dunkin' Donuts Park architect paints a bleak picture of the workmanship and attention to detail at the stalled stadium project, documenting numerous construction defects that would need to be repaired once work resumes.
The 344-page construction status report, compiled by Jonathan O'Neil Cole of Kansas City-based Pendulum, found problems with many elements and areas of the publicly financed minor league baseball stadium, now projected to cost more than $71 million.
The report, which The Courant obtained through a Freedom Of Information Act request, details exposed rusting rebar, cracking stairs, honeycombing and chipping concrete, improperly poured concourse slabs that invite pooling water, and clogged and improperly installed drains.
The report notes "cracks at both dugout roofs (underside fascia and above roof)" that "when exposed to freezing and thawing conditions will expand and move."
Work has been idle at the ballpark since June, when the city fired the developers. Cole was rehired as a first step to restarting construction.
The architect found areas where water is infiltrating the structure, causing buckling and bowing wall panels, stained and failing ceiling panels and mold spreading along lower walls. The report detailed multiple instances of doors being much smaller than required to match openings, which resulted in large amounts of sealant being used to close gaps, electrical outlets installed in the wrong places and in contrast to the designed drawings, improperly installed sprinklers, cable trays that interfere with signs, and gaps where walls and other structural elements meet throughout the ballpark. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE