Construction on schedule at Parkview

CLOVIS — Construction on Clovis' new 63,000-square-foot Parkview Elementary School, which began a year ago, is on schedule.

"Obviously we're near the end," CMS Executive Director of Operations John King said. "Substantial completion is to take place the end of June. The inside is wrapping up, moving west to east across the building."

Project superintendent Jim Kirtland said work still remains to be done on a parking lot and water retention facility that were approved by the school board in March and not a part of the original plans.

Other work remaining is "just small things," Kirtland said. "We're doing a final coat of paint inside and the gym floor is going down right now; kitchen equipment comes in next week, so all the normal final things are going in place as scheduled."

King said the only potential roadblock to having the building ready in July would be if rain affects the parking lot, curb and gutter work.

"Hopefully we don't get any bad weather and we can continue with the curb and gutter and concrete paving around to the north side of the building," King said.

Kirtland said rain affected construction last year.

"Last year in August we had quite a bit of rain — it was about 14 inches of rain — so that was a challenge for us working around that and the mud, getting the foundation in. Once we got past that it was a very dry winter, so construction has gone well."

King said there were several factors that led the district to replace the old Parkview building, which was completed in 1952 and had four additions from 1957 through 1975.

"Obviously it's an older building so there were a lot of issues just partly with age, a lot of systems were worn out," King said. "We had I think at one point nine or 10 portables out there so we didn't have all the kids in brick and mortar ... The new school is quite a bit larger so we'll have enough indoor classroom capacity for all the students that go there this coming year."

Parkview Principal Wayne Marshall said he has been principal at two elementary schools and two high schools, and the new Parkview building, which costs $13.3 million, will be the nicest school he has worked at.

"It's like going from a Volkswagen to a space shuttle," Marshall said.

Marshall said the new building will improve technology access including new projectors and Apple TVs.

"Our programs will remain pretty much the same, it's just a much nicer facility to accomplish them," he said.

The old Parkview building will be used to house Highland Elementary students for the upcoming school year, as that building is slated to be demolished and replaced with a new school in the same location, currently scheduled to be ready for the beginning of school in 2019.

King said at that point the school board will need to decide what to do with the old Parkview building, either by donating it to another government entity or demolishing it.