Elementary school may not be able to open on time

Monday, Aug. 1, 2005 | 10:54 a.m.

The new academic year may not start on time for students of the new Joseph E. Thiriot Elementary School.

Clark County School District officials warned that construction is behind schedule at Thiriot, located at 5700 W. Harmon Ave. The campus may not be ready in time for the start of classes Aug. 29.

"It's looking like a distinct possibility," Paul Gerner, associate superintendent of facilities for the district, said this morning.

Thiriot is one of 11 new schools slated to open next month. The other 10 campuses are on schedule, district officials said.

Thiriot's construction, however, got off to a late start. A location for the southwest region campus wasn't identified until January 2004, more than two years behind schedule, district officials said. Thiriot is also a new two-story prototype, which meant more delays than with the construction of a more typical school. More rainy days than usual last fall and winter pushed the construction further behind schedule.

There were also delays in earthwork and ordering construction materials. Paul Gerner, associate superintendent of facilities for the district, said he didn't believe Roche Constructors, the general contractor on the project, was at fault.

"There were a lot of issues contributing to the delays and I don't think you can point a finger and blame any one factor," Gerner said.

The district has opened at least 10 new schools in each of the last four years. The fact that those openings have come on time without significant cost overruns has been a point of pride for the district's construction division.

The district must make a decision by Aug. 8 as to whether classes at Thiriot will be delayed. If the school site isn't ready extra days may be added to the end of the school year to ensure students receive the state-required 180 days of instruction, said School District spokesman Albert Jones.