Underground utilities work on the new Junction City High School project is nearing completion and building pad footings are about one-third complete. The Chief Operations Officer for USD 475, David Wild, told the Junction City Rotary Club that the cooling tower concrete work and backfill is being wrapped up this week with the orchestra pit now being dug out.

The asphalt base course for bus parking has been laid down and will be used as a staging area.  Plumbing and electrical lines are being placed from the auditorium west to the freshman academy.

“If the weather holds out, we can expect to see slab on grade wall construction start to take place in the next few weeks coupled with the arrival of masonry crew by early December. We have over 50 personnel on site now and expect more than 100 in early December. By January we can expect many more as steel, framing, masonry and concrete work are under way,” Wild added.

Efforts to continue reducing costs include value engineering changes being taken into consideration. Between re-negotiating subcontracts and value engineering initiatives, the District has seen a total cost reduction of 13 percent since the bid letting. Wild concluded by noting the district will continue those initiatives in the coming weeks.