Construction of a new 100 Building at Bainbridge High School and the renovation of the campus’ 200 Building to include a theater are facing a 30- to 50-day delay, according to school district officials.
Multiple reasons are to blame for the delay in finishing the upgrade to BHS facilities, according to a memo prepared this week for the Bainbridge Island School Board.
The construction project fell behind schedule by eight days due to wet and snowy weather. Bainbridge and the region were hit by greater-than-average rainfall over the winter, as well as snow.
Another problem has been the discovery of abandoned water lines found where the new 100 Building is planned. The lines were not documented, and the pipes contained asbestos, which required their abatement, demolition and removal. The excavated area then had to be refilled.
That alone was a two-day hit to the project schedule, and came with an added cost of nearly $30,000.
Other pipes that were also undocumented were found elsewhere, which also had to be removed at a cost of nearly $22,000 and a schedule setback of three days, according to a memo to Superintendent Peter Bang-Knudsen from Tamela Van Winkle, the district’s executive director for capital projects.
Contaminated soil was also found on the BHS campus during excavation for a new sewer line, and the soil had to be trucked off-site and disposed of, adding another one-day delay to the schedule.
Workers also found an undocumented well during construction.
Another problem: Silica insulation was discovered under the slab in the theater while excavating was underway for the theater’s partial pit.
“This material is difficult to remove and abate due to respiratory concerns,” Van Winkle noted in her memo. “No one can be in the theatre without a respirator until the material is abated.”
That work, Van Winkle added, would also add to delays in the project schedule.
The project has also been set back by “agency delays and requirements from [the] city of Bainbridge Island for additional utility work,” according to the memo.
Nearly 134 tons of spoiled soil was removed from the BHS campus after the contaminated dirt was discovered.
District spokeswoman Erin Bischoff said the contaminated soil was transported to North Mason Fiber in Belfair for ultimate disposal at the Columbia Ridge Landfill in Oregon.
“The first encounter with contaminated soils at BHS resulted in 25.63 tons of soil being removed and hauled off-site,” Bischoff said in an email. “The second encounter with contaminated soils at BHS resulted in 108.36 tons of soil being removed and hauled off-site.”
The school board was scheduled to get an update on the $33 million building project at the board’s meeting late this week.
The BHS 100 Building houses the high school’s fine arts, special education program, and career and technical classes, and the new building is being paid for by a bond measure passed in February 2016 and a capital levy approved by voters in 2019.
Work on the new 100 Building at Bainbridge High started last year, and officials had earlier envisioned having the facility ready for move-in day in September. Move-in day was later pushed back to January 2021.
