Work continuing into new year at W.R. Myers and D.A. Ferguson

TIMES FILE PHOTO

Poll

Should the federal government be allowed to deal directly with municipalities without interference?

• YES
• NO

View Results

 Loading ...

Recent News →

• Provincial budget highlights identified: MLA Hunter
• Provincial grant solves “unfair” funding anomaly for RCMP-contracted policing in Coaldale
• Jets return to southern Alberta for matchup against the Okotoks Dawgs
• Taber WHAM finishes in bronze medal position
• Horizon School Board meeting brief from March 25

Recent Blog Posts →

• From the Archives of Western Newspapers
• From the Archives of Western Newspapers
• From the Archives of Western Newspapers
• From the Archives of Western Newspapers
• From the Archives of Western Newspapers

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times
cparkinson@tabertimes.com

Progress at W.R. Myers High School and D.A. Ferguson Middle School is continuing for their partial modernization.

While the hope was to have everything back in place by the end of 2019, things haven’t finished up as quickly as the Horizon School board of trustees had hoped.

With further delays, the board had then hoped to see completion by the end of January 2020 but once again, more needed work has come forward which has postponed the final product.

“With those stairwells (in W.R. Myers), there has been a change order that needs to take place for fire safety and it’s going to take about six weeks,” explained Bruce Francis, vice-chair at Horizon’s regular meeting on Nov. 25. “They were originally saying they would be done by the end of January but we know that isn’t going to happen because of this.”

More work within the facilities is also needed which will be done in short order.

“All washrooms require upgrading to barrier-free access,” added Francis.

One item in need of addressing is moving ahead though after concerns were brought forward at a past meeting.

After issues within W.R. Myers and D.A. Ferguson gyms around noise issues due to the removal of acoustic panelling.

A tender was put out and the board approved the submission by Roest Acoustics, who priced both gyms at $126,000.

“The sound baffling for D.A. Ferguson and Myers gyms is going to start during the Christmas holidays and probably won’t be finished until the week after kids are back in school. Hopefully, we get that done by the tenth of January or so,” said Francis.

A further update to the project was given during the board’s regular meeting on Dec. 16, in which the completion date was pushed back further. Due to several new things being done within the walls at W.R. Myers and D.A. Ferguson, the board fully expects the grand opening scheduled for April to be pushed back.

“We got a change order on the D.A. Ferguson/Myers capital project in the fact that we have been told it has to be sprinklers. We have to set up the sprinklers to be set up in the two story part,” said Francis at the Dec. 16 meeting. “So until we do that, everything else is on hold because they can’t do anything else until they figure (that) out.”

As part of the sprinkler system, more work is needed for the water lines.

“They are running either a six or eight inch water line through the entrance on the southside, running it up the main hall way through the ceiling. It will then go into the two story so that will accommodate the sprinkler system for the two story. Typically, now a days, to bring a building up to code when you modernize them, you have a sprinkler. That main water line will also be in place should Phase 2 modernization be approved,” said Tymensen.

The project is still on track to finish before the next school year starting in September but it will be several weeks later into 2020 than the board had hoped.

“Good news is part of the project was not to have painting but they have included that in the project now. So they will be putting a coat of paint on,” said Francis. Because of all of this, the completion date to be some time in April.”

Get More The Taber Times →