The Newton School Board heard the latest updates on the building additions and renovations at Thomas Jefferson and Aurora Heights Elementary Schools last night. Both projects began in early November, and Newton School Superintendent Tom Messenger says the construction budgets and timelines remain intact.

“There’s been a few different things that have come up and been covered by the contingency. No major surprises to date. The big thing is right now it might seem slow at the Aurora Height site because a lot of the work has been done on the interior of the building and is not visible from the outside, in contrast to the Thomas Jefferson site where you can see the new addition going up.” 

At Thomas Jefferson elementary, workers have started installing the framework for the windows, and district administrators are working through the plan to handle the traffic flow for April and May. The north side of the school building will not be accessible through the drive, and the entire entry roadway will be shut down while the drive is reworked.

At the vacant Aurora Heights Elementary building, the kitchen floor drains are being worked on, the electrical contractor is working on the piping and wiring for the fire alarm system and lighting, and Information and Technology Director Shane Wheeler is working on the details for the updates to the intercom system.