The opening dates for several public schools have been pushed back from this week, but Education officials said they don’t expect any more delays despite continued concerns over safety issues that have put contractor AECOM in the hot seat.
“We don’t anticipate the dates changing again,” Education Department spokesperson Keva Muller said Monday. “However, if another weather system were to pass over the Virgin Islands, work could possibly be delayed.”
St. Thomas’ two public high schools were expected to open Monday, but the schedules were revised late last week. According to the Education Department’s website, Ivanna Eudora Kean was scheduled to have its final student orientation session Monday, with a revised opening date set for Sept. 27.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Amalie High School is doubling as the site for Addelita Cancryn Junior High, whose students will be housed in modular units on the CAHS field. The revised schedule lists CAHS’ opening as Sept. 24, with Cancryn projected to open a few days later on Sept. 27.
“Some schools are still active construction sites and the department errs on the side of caution and chooses not to bring the students into schools for everyone’s safety,” Muller said in an email response to questions sent by the Source late last week. She added that putting in furniture, preparing walkways and connecting electricity within the modular units brought in as temporary replacements for hurricane-damaged buildings are a few of the outstanding tasks, but declined to specify which schools.
Revised school opening dates are:
Sept. 17
– Lew Muckle Elementary on St. Croix
Sept. 19
– Julius E. Sprauve School on St. John
Sept. 24 on St. Thomas
– Charlotte Amalie High School
– Yvonne E. Milliner-Bowsky Elementary School
– Joseph Gomez Elementary School
Sept. 24 on St. Croix
– Eulalie Rivera Elementary School
Sept. 27 on St. Thomas
– Addelita Cancryn Junior High School
– Lockhart Elementary School
– Ivanna Eudora Kean High School
Education has said that information on the opening of the Arthur A. Richards Junior High School on St. Croix will be released once more is known on the progress of construction at the school.
Meanwhile, Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp has been open about his concerns over contractor AECOM, which include getting all modulars installed in time. As of Monday afternoon, several units could be seen sitting behind the hospital, which Muller said are meant for the Raphael O. Wheatley Skill Center and “other schools that weren’t high priority but are still in need.” Muller declined to answer whether the site work to get the modulars in, whatever the final destination, is complete.
Earlier this summer, AECOM officials were confident they would hit a date of Aug. 28, but Mapp has cited challenges such as logistics, getting sites identified and getting materials produced in factories from Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania to arrive on island at the same time. There was also coordination needed for delivery of a Sprung structure being put together in Utah.
Asked about whether the company has had to subcontract the work to cover manpower shortages, Muller said, “Subcontracting is not new to construction. I cannot speak for AECOM on their staffing needs for the project, however, I do know that they have subcontracted local construction companies to assist with this project. In addition, manpower has been a challenge across the territory in regards to construction work.”
AECOM officials are scheduled for site visits next week with members of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee who will be in the territory for a few days beginning Sept. 24 to meet with various department and agencies heads and project representatives to see how federal Community Development Block Grant funding award to the territory are proceeding and whether any mechanisms for financial reporting have been implemented.