Renovated middle school to open one day late

Bangor’s Fifth Street Middle School will open one day later next week than originally scheduled, the system’s superintendent said Friday.

The middle school will open on Wednesday, Sept. 5 instead of Tuesday, while the remaining nine schools in the system will open as scheduled on Sept. 4.

Superintendent James Doughty said the one-day delay at Fifth Street will allow the school’s teachers an extra day to prepare for the school year, time which they were not afforded this summer because of work being done on the school.

The middle school is nearing completion of a $4.1 million renovations and construction project scheduled to be finished in late December. Projects such as the school’s new library, auditorium, and gymnasium, however, are scheduled to be worked on during the after-school hours this fall.

Doughty said that all projects scheduled to be completed Monday will be done on time. Over the long weekend, construction and maintenance employees will be working to make the school ready for the pupils, he said.

These projects include wiring the main hallway for electricity, putting in carpeting in more of the classrooms and hallways, and finishing installation of the fire alarm system.

Roger Moody, director of business services, said these projects would have been completed earlier had not last winter’s propane shortage and cold weather delayed construction. Despite this and other delays, Moody said the whole project will meet its December deadline.

The day lost by delaying school will be made up by eliminating a staff development day later on during the year, Doughty said. Last spring Fifth Street pupils were dismissed three days early to allow the more time for the contractors more time to finish the projects needed to be in place for school.

Inside the school on Friday as ceilings were being wired, walls built, and some floors smoothed off, teachers were working on getting their classrooms and themselves ready for school.

Sixth-grade teacher Betty Spekhardt spent all morning and afternoon fixing up her room. After all, she said, “you want the room to welcome the kids.”

The extra day Tuesday will give teachers time to get their new school ready as well as meet together to establish rules and guidelines to keep the school “as beautiful as it is,” she said.

Friday afternoon, many hours after she arrived at school, Spekhardt was still in her classroom. Sitting at her desk she looked around a room with book-filled cupboards but empty desks.

“I feel like I’m privileged, this is the most beautiful place I’ve taught in,” she said about the new room and school wing. “I feel very comfortable in my room already.”