Yellowknife (Sep 08/04) - Construction crews worked night and day last week to make sure Mildred Hall elementary school was up and running for the first day of classes.

"It was a race to get the systems in place," said Brent Roche, spokesperson for the territorial Department of Public Works, which is overseeing the construction.

A plywood fence, with a foot-high gap at the bottom, divided the playground from the construction area. - Andrew Raven/NNSL photo

Water was turned on at the school last Wednesday. Roche said the sprinklers, toilets and water fountains were running by the time students reported to class.

The school is in the midst of a $9 million renovation, slated for completion in January.

With a section of the outer wall removed, the temperature in the classrooms was hovering around 17 degrees last Friday, leading to some speculation that school would be chilly when classes resumed Tuesday.

As with the rest of the schools in the Yellowknife District No. 1 Education Authority, the school's boilers are scheduled to be turned on in mid-September.

But if the temperature continues to drop, officials could decide to light them up sooner, said superintendent Judith Knapp.

"They may have to wear a few more layers, but they're not freezing," she said of the students.

"We have to live through a bit of inconvenience. But the end result will be worth it," she said.

Principal Yasemin Heyck said staff and students were coping well with the renovations. Construction crews placed windows on the second floor, allowing students to follow the work in progress.

"It's really an excellent opportunity for them to learn about construction," she said.

Amanda Mallon, president of the NWT Teacher's Association, is pleased with the work going on at the school and is looking forward to the newly renovated Mildred Hall.

"(The school) does look scary from the outside," Mallon said. "But things are quite different inside."

Teachers at the school are prepared for the minor inconveniences of the work, she said.

School officials and contractors have been careful to separate the elementary school children from working zones, said Roche.

A steel fence divides the playground from the construction area. However, at one point along the barrier, the steel fence ends and is replaced by two sheets of plywood. There a half-metre gap between the ground and the plywood -- enough space for a child to wriggle through.

Knapp said she had not seen the area in question, but is confident the contractors -- Clark Builders -- are taking every precaution necessary.

"Safety is a paramount concern," she said.

Roche also said heavy construction will not occur during school hours, but when Yellowknifer was at Mildred Hall at around 11:30 a.m., Friday, workers were in the midst of lifting a 50-metre-long girder.

Closely monitored

"It's a challenge when you occupy a school and renovate it at the same time," Roche said. "But we have been able to maintain a good, safe learning environment."

When the children are outside, they are closely monitored by staff, said Knapp, reducing the chance they will enter the construction zone.

Phase one of the three-phase project is now complete.

The project is slightly behind schedule, Roche said, but he believes the bulk of the work will be finished by January.

Some seasonal work will have to be finished next spring.