The new Bamberg-Ehrhardt elementary/primary school and rehabilitation to the District’s middle high school are “well on the way,” said Bamberg School District. Supt. Phyllis Schwarting at the regular board meeting July 25.

President of Brownstone Construction Group Dale Collier told the Bamberg School District One Board of Trustees last week that facilities construction is working to meet an August 8 “milestone” of a Dept. of Education’s Office of School Facilities life and safety inspection of the middle and high schools prior to the start of school August 10.

Brownstone Construction Group is a full service construction and consulting firm specializing in Program/Construction Management, General Contracting, and Construction Consulting with offices in South Carolina and Georgia.

Dale L. Collier, C.C.M. is the president of this general contracting/consulting firm focusing on delivering on time and within budget service to his clients in order to ensure complete customer satisfaction. He earned his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Carolina in 1987. In 1998

Brownstone Construction Group is an unlimited General Contractor and is licensed in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia.

“Dale (Collier) is really keeping things on target,” Supt. Schwarting commented.

The new school (at the Highway 301/60 north location) has its underground construction now in place, Mr. Collier reported … we will soon see block and brick going up in the next two weeks.”

Concerning the middle school renovation, renovation will continue as “we go into September and October … we will cordon off the construction work from the students. We plan is to have all of the classroom teaching spaces back in place before the start of the school year. On August 8 state inspectors will give us a list of things to be finished (before occupancy) (but) we feel we’re on time to complete that task and to make those dates (when children begin to return to school),” Collier said. “At the high school, students will have to work around construction … the front of the high school will still be under construction (but we will have temporary walls (to cordon off construction).”

Site manager Luther Thompson said that the masonry work (on the new school) “is probably going to start this week … we have the capability of having the slabs poured in the next two weeks.

“A great effort,” he said concerning the hiring of local workers, “has been made to hire locally … we follow the Davis- Bacon rules and feel pretty good about that.” The Davis–Bacon Act of 1931 is a United States federal law which established the requirement for paying prevailing wages on public works projects. All federal government construction contracts, and most contracts for federally assisted construction over $2,000, must include provisions for paying workers on-site no less than the locally prevailing wages and benefits paid on similar projects.

“We feel pretty good about where we are at this time … after the occupancy inspection (Aug. 8) … when we walk out the kids can walk in … the systems are working, lights are working, fire alarms are working … all of the things you need to operate the schools … you may not see a massive cleanup in the front of the schools), Thompson said … :the focus is going to be to get those classrooms back open (in) a safe environment for the kids. We will have a safety plan for you.”

Dr. Dale Padgett asked about disrupting classes once school starts. “The first thing we do,” Mr. Collier explained, “is that we let the principals know that they are in charge. If things get too noisy we will hold off until after school is out to continue our work.”