While we’ve been carefully monitoring work at the Lowell for the last several months, the decision to delay the reopening was made this morning in conjunction with city and local officials, the architects, and our project management team. We determined that this was the only realistic option that we have at this time. This is as a result of a few major factors:
The building will not be ready for September 6th. Working on a nearly 100-year-old building was always an uncertain prospect. Along the way, we added additional scope to the renovations to ensure that the quality of the Lowell school would be on par with the new Hosmer and Cunniff schools. We also experienced delays in the delivery of materials and equipment. Crews continue to work hard to complete the construction and need an additional few weeks to wrap up the project, which includes the kitchen, the cafeteria, and the grounds surrounding the school.
Creating the best learning environment beginning on moving day. It became clear to us that the Lowell school could not be an appropriate learning environment for students in September as it will still be a very active construction site. It would be a disservice to everyone to move into a building before it could best serve our community.
We want the move-in process to be as smooth as possible. A partial move-in to an unfinished building would create a chaotic situation for students and staff. It's important that the move-in be smooth, successful, and celebratory. It became obvious that this would not be possible in September.
