HARRISONBURG - Nielsen Builders Inc. and its nearly 80 subcontractors are wrapping up work on the Harrisonburg City Schools' $37.1 million elementary-and-middle-school complex on Linda Lane.
The price tag does not include the purchase of the land, which cost the city $3 million.
Smithland Elementary and Skyline Middle schools are "substantially complete" and on schedule to open in August, according to Nielsen and school officials.
The school division plans to move into the building on June 20 and offer public tours of the two-school complex in late July, according to Craig Mackail, supervisor for research, planning and operations for city schools.
The extension of Linda Lane, connecting Country Club Road with Smithland Road, will provide access to the building.
Dedication Set
On Friday, Nielsen Senior Project Manager Gary McBride estimated that the complex is 99.5 percent complete.
The construction cost, he said, will come in at just over $35.75 million, including $32,593 in change orders.
McBride said some work, including the installation of gymnasium bleachers, is not yet completed.
After the work is done, McBride said, it would take about a month to clean the building and go through a long checklist to make sure everything is in place.
Nielsen also expects to help the school system move into the complex, he said. The building's official dedication is set for 2 p.m. Aug. 18.
Easing Crowding
The new school complex is expected to alleviate crowding in the increasingly cramped city schools.
The 219,562-square-foot complex on the 62-acre site will hold about 1,500 students with 600 in the elementary and 900 in the middle school.
Students will share some of the building, but they will be kept separated during the school day, with different parking areas and entrances.
The School Board broke ground on the project in August 2006. Weather remained good for most of the project, a fact that helped Nielsen keep on schedule for the anticipated late-summer opening, McBride said.
McBride also credited the working relationship of school officials and Nielsen, under an arrangement that made the contractor more accountable for changes.
"The contractor and the design team had to take responsibility for anything that was overlooked or any of the mistakes that were made," McBride said.
First Look
Students starting Smithland Elementary and Skyline Middle schools next year will get a look inside their new schools much earlier than the general public.
n Smithland Elementary will hold tours for pupils in grades K-3 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
n Tours for families of students attending Smithland Elementary School will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on those days.
Skyline Middle will hold tours on Wednesday and June 9.
n On Wednesday, rising sixth-graders will tour the school from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m.; rising seventh-graders, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and rising fifth-graders from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
n On June 9, rising eighth-graders will tour the facility from noon until 1 p.m.
n Tour dates for families of students attending Skyline Middle School will be Wednesday and June 9 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Contact Jeff Mellott at 574-6290 or jmellott@dnronline.com