Construction completion pushed to 3rd quarter of 2014

The completion date for Samo’s three-story Innovation Building was pushed to the third quarter of 2014 due to delays in construction, according to the Facility Improvements Projects (FIP) Office.“There have been some changes as a result of the November 2012 Measure ES plans to continue the building program at Samo,” an FIP Office representative said. “This includes the relocation of the softball field and the preservation of the science building. Those revisions required Division of State Architect (DSA) approval and procurement of new contractors.”According to the FIP Office, there were also scheduling delays with Southern California Edison, the electricity company, which will connect the building with permanent power.The Innovation Building, along with the Centennial Plaza, are part of “Phase I” of the construction process. At the beginning of the school year, the estimated completion date of Phase I was December 2013. This date moved to March 2014, with a move-in date set for over spring break, before the recent delays pushed the completion date to summer vacation.“[The new building] will be in use sometime next [school] year, preferably at the beginning of the school year,” Wells said. “If not, then it will be sometime during the end of the calendar year, whether that’s in the middle of the semester or during winter break.”According to the FIP Office, the Innovation Building will include 18 classrooms, 15 science labs and an auto shop, as well as educational features such as Smart Boards and teacher microphones.Jacob Soroudi (’15) said he is upset about the lengthy completion of the new building because of the inconveniences it has caused.“This should have been done by last year,” Soroudi said. “All this [construction] causes more traffic congestion and noise.”For science teacher Christina Staroschak, the delays have fostered her anticipation for the new classrooms.“As a science teacher, I’m disappointed because I’m eager to get to a new building with new technology and is updated,” Christina Staroschak said. “However,I also understand that it’s a huge construction project and that these types of projects usually take much longer time than we estimate. [The new building] is something that I feel excited about but I’ve realized that I need to be patient.”Najwa Alkotob (’15) does not agree with the construction of a new building  because current campus facilities still lack renovations and cleanliness.“Instead of building a new building, they should repair [all] the bathrooms,” Alkotob said.According to the FIP’s blog, all teachers who teach in the Science and Tech Buildings will relocate to the Innovation Building when it is completed. Once the move-in is completed, the Tech Building will be destroyed. The  school will keep Science Building as a “swing space,” or a place with temporary classrooms for use during other projects.Meanwhile, Phase II has already begun. This phase includes having a Utility Building, new softball field, a parking lot and a bicycle parking lot. The Utility Building will have restrooms, a softball field office, storage and the electric works for the entire campus. The softball field will be in place of the current Science Quad, while the parking lots will be at the site of the old student parking lot, located behind the current Tech Building. Phase II is projected to be completed in 2015.“I’ve been impressed on how fast [the construction workers] have been able to put [the building] up even though it seems like it’s been slow,” Wells said. “Construction is a very difficult process. I appreciate the fact that they worked around our schedule and haven’t disrupted the whole entire school.”cyen@thesamohi.com