By By SPIROS GALLOS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The construction in Brandywine District schools is coming along on all fronts.
Gus Damaske, Brandywine Public Schools director of finance, told the school board that most of the construction in Merritt and Brandywine Elementary schools, and at Brandywine Junior/Senior High School was on schedule.
Damaske's first bit of news to the board was that the replacement of certain areas of the gym roof at Merritt was almost complete.
He also told the board that the original $185,000 cost of the project was actually about $145,000.
Damaske noted that the amount of tile which needed to be replaced was much less than the first estimates projected.
All the roofing materials are installed on the gym roof, the only thing needed to complete the roof is the fascia, a metal stripping which runs around the entire roof. The fascia is completely cosmetic and won't affect the roof function or structure in any way.
The four south classrooms at Merritt will be turned over to the school Nov. 1, when construction is completed.
The public announcement system does not work in all the permanent rooms at Merritt, and the portable rooms don't have any system in them at all. Officials are examining options to rectify the situation by running buried lines to the portable classrooms so they can have access to the public announcement system.
Brandywine Elementary School still does not have a boiler system, but Damaske told the board the new boiler should be shipped within the next two weeks.
The hallway floors at Brandywine Elementary are complete and just need to be cleaned. Damaske told the board that the school district could save money by cleaning and preparing the floor themselves, rather than contract those services out.
The gym floor at Brandywine Junior/Senior High School should be playable for next girls' basketball game Oct. 14th against Berrien Springs High School.
The bubble, which was caused when rain entered the gym through some temporary sky lights, was cut to let the moisture escape and then weighed down flatten the floor out.
A lip that remained from the cut was then sanded down. The floor will be sanded again and painted in the next week.