Work is proceeding right on schedule for the new addition to Sweetwater Elementary School in Devils Lake.
Unusually mild weather in November and part of December enabled workers to get a jump start on the project.
“That nice weather in November was a godsend for us,” says Superintendent Steve Swiontek.
“We were able to get the footings and foundations in pretty quickly.”
Bricklayers were able to move right along too, and when further work on the walls are soon completed, the west wall on the gym will go up.
“We could have a roof on the gym within two - three weeks,” added Swiontek.
Target date for completion of the new facility is Aug. 15 of this year, and that includes a renovation of the current building.
That will include new windows and a roof, according to the school superintendent.
“I'm just very pleased,” he added. “The contractors and the architect have been very good to work with.”
When the project is hopefully completed in August, it will be the culmination of an effort that began three years ago.
“It all came about with all the talk of that portable and the fact we had to do something about it,” said Swiontek.
Another person figuring very prominently in the picture is Sweetwater Principal Deb Follman.
"This is going to provide us with more learning time," she says. "That's because there will be no travel back and forth from the portable."
"It will also put us under one roof and make it more conducive to learning."
Devils Lake, ND —
