Work on new high school just a month behind schedule

That can be made up easily says project manager.

Do you think work on the new school is going slow?A few members of the building committee are concerned that is the public perception, so they asked SAU 9 Superintendent Carl Nelson for confirmation that it's on schedule."We're making progress," Nelson said about how the new high school and vocational center and middle school renovation. "It may not seem like it, but progress really is bring made, we're on our way.""In black and white," Blair Banker, of Lee Kennedy Co., the project manager, "we're about a month behind. Can we catch up yes." The school is scheduled to be open in the fall of 2007. The school district is looking for an inter-municipal agreement with the North Conway Water Precinct to receive water and sewage on the 61-acre parcel in Redstone, which is not within the precinct boundaries. "The latest update is we're on hold," Nelson said. "We started in December and are still looking for an (inter-municipal) agreement. We reappeared before the commissioners in February and said we need to have this done by March so we could close on the property. Meanwhile we were able to get conditional approval on the subdivision from the (Conway) Planning Board. All of the easement issues have been taken care of."... I believe the North Conway Water Precinct turned (the issue) over to their attorney on March 24," he continued. "... The attorney is recommending to have a petition to the PUC (Public Utilities Commission). Our attorney (John Tang) and Tom Dewhurst (attorney for NCWP) will do a co-petition to the PUC. Attorney Dewhurst is thinking there may be a a special precinct meeting needed to vote on providing the district with service. If the meeting is necessary it will be posted and set."Nelson was asked for a potential time frame for a PUC ruling and a possible special precinct meeting. "I think we're looking at anywhere from two to four months," he said. "We've received word from two of the three commissioners (Sheila Duane and John Santuccio, new commissioner Jim Umberger had not yet been updated on the project), want very much for this to happen and are very interested in getting it done... The PUC will put a notice in the paper that states the precinct wishes to expand outside the precinct boundaries to service the school and there will be a special meeting to decide if that what the voters wish to do."The the precinct piece still in the works, Nelson said the closing on the property with Kennett Corp. has been pushed back twice and now is set for late June. "I think it needs to get out that it's not our fault that things are going this slowly," Patty Swett, of the Conway School Board, said. "We put in for this application back in December, we did what we had to do.'"I think the commissioners are trying to work with us," Nelson said. "I think they've obviously been through tough times. They realize this is holding up eight towns and that Conway is committed to a $44 million bond.""I know people are getting antsy," Rebecca Moore, of the Conway School Board, said. "I've had people wonder what's holding things up. I don't mean to point fingers at the water precinct, I know everyone wants to move forward.""We have made a lot of progress," Nelson said. "We've completed the program of study which has been sent to Banwell (Architects). I think we're moving well. Would we like to be moving quicker, probably. I'd like to have the precinct behind us, but we're moving forward."The committee agreed to look at its overall timetable for the project at its next meeting, set for 10 a.m. Friday at H.E. Bergeron.