New Gardner Elementary School will welcome students on Monday

GARDNER – Construction workers and inspectors were busy, even at the last minute as school officials prepared to open the new Gardner Elementary School to students on Monday.

“It’s still a little bit of a work in progress,” said project manager Tim Alix during a Zoom meeting of the Gardner Elementary School Building Committee on Wednesday.

Principal Earl Martin said teachers had been busy getting their classrooms ready for the first day of school.

“Many have been in this week getting the final items squared away,” Martin said. “There are a few furniture items that are still delayed, including desks and shelves, but nothing that would prevent students from having a great first day.”

Martin added that other items, including Smartboard projectors, had been delayed due to supply chain issues, but that temporary alternatives were being installed until the new items arrived.

Looking forward to opening

“I could not be more excited to start the year in this beautiful new building,” Martin said, adding that the city of Gardner had never built a school specifically for elementary school students. “The students, families, staff, and other community members deserve this.”

An open house event for GES families to tour the school is scheduled for Oct. 13, according to Martin.

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Meanwhile, officials were discussing several last-minute issues that were being addressed onsite before the school was officially open for classes. Among the topics discussed during the meeting were parking issues, the school’s intercom system, and elevator inspections, which were scheduled to take place late on Friday afternoon.

“There’s always a fear,” Alix said when asked if there were any concerns about the elevator inspections failing so close to the school’s opening. “But I’m not aware of anything specific that would hold that up. Certainly, something could come up; you know, it is the 11th hour that they’re having an inspection done.”

“It’s the 11th hour and 59 minutes,” replied Superintendent Dr. Mark Pellegrino.

Should the elevators fail an initial inspection, the installer would have licensed operators running the elevators during school hours, according to Alix.

There were some railings in the building that were still being installed, but architect Kristian Whitsett said that some parts would not be delivered in time for the school’s opening.

“So, we wanted to make sure that something temporary was constructed that doesn’t just meet construction standards but will meet occupancy standards,” Whitsett explained.

The Gardner Fire Department conducted tests of the school’s fire alarm system on Thursday, according to officials.

Traffic plan is ready to go

With construction equipment expected to remain on site for the time being, traffic and parking around the school will be a concern.

“It’s a transition from a construction site to a school, and the first priority has to be operating as a school and construction will take a back seat,” Alix explained. “For the most part, construction workers won’t be there during the day.”

In a newsletter sent to the school community, Martin advised parents planning on picking up and dropping off their child at the school each day to enter through the Pearl Street entrance across from Dunn Pond.

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“Please stay to the right as far as you can (particularly when you get close to the school) to allow buses to enter,” Martin recommended. “Staff will be there to direct you through the car line. This entry will be one way during arrival and dismissal to allow buses and visitors to enter in the left lane.”

Preschool parents would enter the campus the same way, Martin said, but after entering the drop-off loop by the school, drivers should veer left into the preschool parking lot. Students will then be able to walk to the preschool entrance with a parent or guardian.

After pick-up and drop off, all drivers will be instructed to exit via the access road towards Gardner High School and then take Catherine Street out onto Pearl Street, Martin wrote.

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The school day

The school’s doors will open for students at 8:30 a.m., but the school day will officially begin at 8:45 a.m., according to Martin. Parents are asked not to drop their child off before 8:30 a.m., as staff members will not be available to monitor and escort students to their rooms before that time. Dismissal is at 3 p.m.

The new school will serve all of the city’s approximately 950 elementary students from pre-K to fourth grade.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Crews put finishing touches on new Gardner Elementary School