EDiS Polytech High School Project Team
Operations Manager: Jerry Doherty
Project Manager: Chris McCone
Field Managers: Dave Breakiron & Mike Wittenberg
Contracts: Jane Reese
Accounting: Rhonda Burg
Safety & Health Manager: Jim Ruggiero
Polytech High School was able to open their doors for the 2013-2014 school year, regardless of ongoing construction. Due to careful planning, good communication, and collaboration between EDiS’ team, our owners at Polytech School District, Delaware Architects, LLC, Becker Morgan Group, and our contractors. Students and faculty were able to return to their responsibilities and duties with no significant interruptions.
In the summer of 2012, Polytech School District hired EDiS Company to complete renovations and additions at Polytech High School. The 64,180 square foot, $29.4 million project will allow the school to expand and fit its growing population. Additionally, the school required some upgrades that would allow the facility to be more beneficial to the students and faculty. Assistant Superintendent at Polytech School District, Dr. Mark Dufendach stated, “Our previous Superintendent, Dr. Dianne Sole, had been wanting an auditorium for years… We had no high school auditorium and, when we needed one, we used the adult education conference center or needed to rent the Schwartz Center.” (Dover Post). Today, the school houses over 1,200 students, which requires larger gathering rooms to accommodate this number of students. This will be the fifth major expansion of the school since its founding in 1964 as the Kent County Vocational Technical Center.
Over the summer, EDiS was able to complete over eight major items of work within the Polytech project: widening of Walnut Shade Road and the entrances to the school , fire alarm upgrades, medical classroom renovations, locker room renovations, corridor HVAC upgrades, replacement of an existing gym roof, security access upgrades, and gas piping upgrades from propane to natural gas. While the school year continues, EDiS and the project team will be working on the demolition and rebuilding of an existing greenhouse, a multipurpose room addition, and an auditorium and classroom addition. With excessive planning, the team was able to strategically finish the eight mini-projects in the summer months, while students and faculty were not present, so they can focus on the four remaining phases during the school year. The team met with the owners on a weekly, and sometimes on a daily basis to assure that all phases of the project were being completed on schedule. Although the team was successfully able to complete the task, this job certainly came with obstacles.
Since this year held record highs for rainfall in June and record highs for heat in July, weather had quite an impact on this job. EDiS and the project team had to play close attention to weather obstructions through construction that could negatively affect the schedule. As the school year proceeds and the construction at Polytech High School continues, EDiS and the project team will work closely with EDiS Safety & Healthy Manager, Jim Ruggiero, to ensure that all property safety measures are being taken. Temporary fencing and signage currently line the construction zones around school to separate the students and faculty from the construction. Due to the fact that the corridors empty into the additions of the school that are under construction, the temporary fencing and signage also provides proper paths to get from point A to point B within the school safely.
The Polytech High School project is expected to be completed by the Fall of 2014, in time for the 2014-2015 school year. At EDiS, we are excited to see the doors open for the school year once again. We extend our gratitude and congratulations to all members of the project team for their fantastic job allowing Polytech High School to get back up-and-running for the school year!
