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Consultant: Most of school bond project work is on schedule

BARBARAELLEN KOCH FILE PHOTO | The Riverhead School District’s $78.3 million bond project approved by voters in 2011 remains on schedule with the exception of the high school, planning consultants said at Tuesday night.
BARBARAELLEN KOCH FILE PHOTO | The Riverhead School District’s $78.3 million bond project approved by voters in 2011 remains on schedule with the exception of the high school, planning consultants said at Tuesday night.

The Riverhead School District’s $78.3 million bond project approved by voters in 2011 remains on schedule with the exception of the high school, planning consultants said at Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting.

Larry Salvesen, an architect with BBS Architecture of Patchogue, updated the school board on the renovation work and said a delay in approvals from the state Department of Education has pushed back the high school’s completion date by a year. He estimates the state will sign off on the project shortly and work will be completed by the summer of 2015.

The school’s front entrance, auditorium seating, gym bleachers and library are slated for upgrades.

Work at Phillips Avenue Elementary School in Riverside, Riley Avenue Elementary School in Calverton and Aquebogue Elementary School will be completed by September, Mr. Salvesen said.

Parking lot reconfiguration, rubber-matting installation at playgrounds and classroom upgrades are planned for those elementary schools.

The school board held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in March at Phillips Avenue school, unveiling a new library and media center. The ceremony marked the first completed facility upgrade paid through the bond.

Riley Avenue school will undergo roof and kitchen work and Aquebogue school is getting a new kitchen.

Plans for renovation work at the middle school, Roanoke and Pulaski Street elementary schools are on schedule to receive final approvals, Mr. Salvesen said.

The district is hopeful a groundbreaking ceremony will take place at the middle school by the end of the year and by the spring of 2014 for Roanoke and Pulaski Street elementary schools.

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